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iohourtime · 3 years

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Shukan Asahi: Okada x Yamada Special Talk

Source: https://dot.asahi.com/amp/wa/2021100100014.html?__twitter_impression=true

(Rough translation - I paraphrased a little bit. Please let me know if anything is wrong. I also skipped the intro, which didn’t add much info.)

Okada-san played the “Demon Hijikata”. What kind of presence was Okita Souji?

Okada: Okita was very much a genius, so normal people could not understand what he was thinking. However, Hijikata and Okita acknowledged each other, so Okita did not feel scared when Hijikata got angry. Okita was played by Yamada-kun, so it was easy for me to do. He is reliable as an actor, so when the director told me “I am thinking about having Yamada-kun play Okita”, I thought that was great.

Where do you place the most trust in him?

Okada: Since I know the human body pretty well, he asked me “What is the best way to slim down?”, I said “Dehydration”, which was the toughest method (laughs). Then he actually did it, which I thought was impressive. He lost around 8kg of weight.

Yamada: I didn’t even know the word dehydration [at that time].

Okada: It is a method used by bodybuilders, first you take in a lot of water, then suddenly stop and the water will disappear from your body*. Since the blood becomes thick, it is not good [for the body]. In addition, Yamada-kun was not eating to [further] lose weight, so he did both methods…

[* In the Esse interview, Yamada said he stopped drinking water 3 days before the death scene. He also went to the sauna at the hotel, and as expected, he fell down. I know he is playing a dying character, but did he have to go that extreme?]

Yamada: You told me that potassium can also reduce the water in the body, so I took it as well. I did all the things I learned. However, it was really like hell.

Okada: You only ate chocolate?

Yamada: Almonds.

Okada: Ah, I did say nuts are good. You were rolling your tongue and eating little by little like a squirrel.

Yamada: One time, at around 3am, I had excruciating pains in my stomach, so I went to the hospital. They didn’t find anything wrong but I guess that was the price to pay. But I felt good about that too. It was like the character was starting to come alive.

Okada: Normally, if you don’t eat, you start to feel heartsick and lose your will. However, even though Yamada-kun had such a hard shooting schedule, you never lost the will to play the role and I thought you endured a lot. Although we meant to shoot the scenes where you were the thinnest at the end, the schedule [didn’t allow for it].

Yamada: When I filmed the scene just before my death, I also had to film [another scene] where I was healthy on the same day. I wanted my face to look fuller, so I ate a lot. I was trying to gain back the 8kg I lost within 1 week, so I ate about 5-6kg of rice every day. Although my body felt very heavy, I enjoyed [the experience]. I don’t hate being forced into a corner.

Okada: When you were rail thin, you never said a single thing in frustration…

Yamada: I couldn’t possibly show that sort of thing at the place where Okada-san was the center (laughs)! But I never thought about saying stuff like “This bastard”. I thought I would just grin and bear it.

Okada: There’s not much more I can say about Yamada-kun’s skill as an actor. The one thing I would add is that his earnestness towards the role was very amazing. That’s his personality & character.

Other than the body, what advice did you get from Okada-san?

Yamada: I was watching Okada-san to a somewhat disturbing extent. I was really trying to learn about each thing. For example, Okada-san can peek at the camera lens and know the angle of view. Isn’t that weird? (laughs)

Okada: I did ask you, like “Do you know the angle of view?”

Yamada: I was like “Angle of view?!” I thought I didn’t study enough. You told me everything you thought I would not understand and I am very grateful for that.

Yamada-san, what is Okada-san to you?

Yamada: He’s absolutely larger than life. I worship him not as a senpai. Although I’m the type who thinks that I can do whatever others can do because they’re also human like me, I cannot copy Okada-san. Like after he finished filming, he would just sleep a little and head to the gym*; although it sounds kinda bad, he’s like a monster. Really (laughs).I wonder if I will ever reach this level even after many years.

[* He just told the story on Ariyoshi x Monster - They finished filming at 2am & had to reconvene at 5:30am. In 3.5 hours, Okada managed to sleep and go to the gym and that’s why Yamada thought he was inhuman.]

What was the atmosphere on the film set?

Okada: It was an old world where angry roars were flying around. I think it was probably different from what Yamada-kun experienced before..

Yamada: If the young people of today were to jump into this, they may lose heart. You need to really hate to lose and really be motivated to live in this world.

[T/N: I’m a bit confused as to whether they’re talking about the actual film set or the Shinsengumi times. I guess maybe the Shinsengumi atmosphere bled into the set? Sounds a bit horrifying but it is a testosterone filled film. 😅]

How would you link the unity of Shinsengumi to your “Group Bond”?

Okada: If you bring in the really strict rules that Shinsengumi implemented to the group, like whoever broke the rules would have to commit seppuku*, it will collapse.

[* Seppuku is the act of ritual suicide where the person cut across the stomach with a sword. For Shinsengumi, people could be executed by beheading or allowed to commit seppuku. Basically seppuku is the honorable way to die.]

Yamada: You’re not wrong (laughs).

Okada: Shinsengumi was a strong and unusual group. It only lasted 6 years, that’s why it was beautiful and powerful. For those of us in V6, we are made up of gentle people who all wanted to do this together for a long time rather than aim to be the bright light. How long has Hey!Say!JUMP been around?

Yamada: Next year will be our 15th anniversary.

Okada: From now on, I think it will be interesting for Hey!Say!JUMP, King & Prince, SixTONES, and Snow Man. You’re going to fight for the national idol throne. We were wondering and looking forward to find out “Who will take it!”

Yamada: We are race horses (laughs).

Okada: That’s right. These 4 groups know what their situation is like, and I think you have discussed this amongst your groups. Although it is tough, it is probably fun to be creative. What is JUMP doing?

Yamada: Recently, we are starting to find our niche individually. However, I think our rule is to try and bring something from those places back to JUMP. For example, I’m a part of “Moeyo Ken”, so people may say “Yamada Ryosuke, who played Okita Souji, is part of the group called ‘Hey!Say!JUMP’”, and that brings the topic back to the group. As for the “National Idol” throne, whether we can win will depend on how much power we can each bring by following that rule of JUMP’s.

#moeyo ken #shukan asahi #okada junichi #yamada ryosuke #interview #translation

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iconsumeheadcanons · 4 years

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persona characters autism headcanons!

hi im autistic and i started my day with sun so now im !!!!!!!!! some of these headcanons are from elsewhere on tumbr, but i dont know where :((( so i am hoping someone out there knows that n that everybody knows that i love them <3

(also go check out mollypaup and i think hypeswap if you havent already! they post some good stuff autism+adhd hc too!!! i think.. oh! and thieves-in-the-palace!!!)

Joker

there was some artwork from someone on tublr..where they pointed out that he doesnt really talk outside the metaverse so--hes hyperverbal as joker and just near nonverbal as akiren

he stims ALL THE TIME. that phone thing, the pencil thing, the little tappy tap of his foot, pulling at his bangs when hes embarrassed/smug. someone get him a fidget spinner. he’ll prob learn to do tricks with it

he probably sucks at focusing in class, like i know its just the game design but hes always surprised out of his daily “star out the window at the nearby office building” when his teachers ask him questions

mona mentions when the pt is at Wilton for the first time (after they run into shido) that joker eats like shit, and that could have multiple causes at the start of the story of course, but when i first played i thought that joker was a picky eater and that the variety (and amount of food) at the buffet would be an Ordeal...

tho mona makes that comment bc joker looked pale after having a little ptsd moment from shidos voice, but i didnt know that the first time i played

maybe when joker makes a face at ryuji putting so much ginger in his gyudon? joker probably does not like pickled ginger lol

his favortive foods are all spicy, which is why the curry he makes for his friends is always ‘overly spicy’, and why kasumi makes him a curry bento and joker kept going “...?” .... “....?!”

overly reflective glasses have been a great plus for him bc now he never has to make real eye contact every again!

mona Soft. play with Ann hair. maybe Braid. nice

puns (Gorou the Goroumet)

he has so many options to be straight up rude sometimes in game. he probably no clue on his own, which is why he defaults to Not Talking. people probably mention his constant scary face, which is just him being nonexpressive, squinting at all the fucking bright lights, and Tired

executive function who? we do everything last minute folks

high pain tolerance, which is why he was the kid that was always climbing trees in elementary school to get basketballs unstuck from the branches

his sixth sense lets him see treasure and possible places to climb/crawl bc 1. Shiny? Steal it. Steal it Now. and 2. Could i fit in that? Time to Find Out

probalby a bit of a klepto too oops. he’ll return it tho!! but he has to do it dramatically or he’ll die

cant sit properly to save his life

smells and touch are Great, they can keep him grounded when his brain goes off to police or dead rivals or guilt or

if a friend hung out with him and gave him total reigns of the agenda, he would choose to nap on the floor while his friend does something off to the side quietly

hyperfocuses on handy tasks (i.e. lockpicks, coffee brewing, cleaning, his part time jobs) and some things like movies and books. everything else is a tossup

his (normal) navigation app is his most used app bc he still doesnt know where hes going, even though he only goes to the same few places in the city

hates being sweaty, literally cannot stand it. probably double exhausted during the summer

but Needs Compression so hes often Struggling

Futaba

paraphrase from p5d “i have no motor skills so i cant play rhythm games :(” need i say more? (i will regardless)

echolalia all the time, from anime, memes, the PT

those headphones she wears all the time? noise cancelling ear protectors babey

only talks about her interests, “normal” talking is Not Easy, but she is still communicative w others despite her worries. shes not “hard to understand” at all but she feels the anxiety nonetheless

only talks informally, cannot talk ‘politely’ with out imitating someone around her

shes had meltdowns and anxiety attacks in game :( i relate so hard

Technology. thats it

def had an egypt phase that pops up every few months. probably came from yu-gi-oh

has Immune to Bright Lights buff. joker is very jealous

“Time to make like a tree and leave!” and 30 other iterations

video game metaphors are the only ones that makes sense to her

probably relates hard to robot characters in anime for their general androgyny and confusion about human emotions and connections

probably gets told that shes “too smart to be on the spectrum” by teachers >:( she fails their classes on purpose

wakaba’s autistic too that just how it is

the Connection that she establishes with Joker is so Warm. my life goals include adopting an older brother like futaba has lsdkfjslkfj

also eater of 5 foods only, i mean, she brings cup ramen to the beach. i just really admire her...

hides in small spaces for comfort

doesnt she have like uhhhhh hyperthymesia or something like that?

Yusuke

art

his entire social link is learning how humans work, which i relate

talks seriously all the time

“sarcasm? who is that? are you saying I was sarcastic?...how?”

cant remember to take care of his body, and madarame did not help with that either

lot of uncomfortable staring, hes overdoing the eye contact thingy

infodumps all the time, doesnt know hes doing it

needs a lot of support even if he doesnt think he deserves it. no one ever complains about helping him out tho

visual stims my friends

he didnt know that you could look up pictures on the internet but he does know you can stream live videos of waterfalls and fluffy animales!!

I am certainly in the mood

for something salty today.

he and joker are scared of math. numbers do not interact

Yusuke, futaba, and akiren are a trio and i know this bc their first day of non-thievery interacts is Akiren clearing Futabas room w/o permission, futaba hyperfocusing on destroying medjed, and yusuke rearranging futabas figurines so they are more visually appealing

morgana is a support friend for all of them bc igor knows they need it

Souji/Yu

yes, he mostly wears gray semi formal clothes bc parents tell him to, no, he will not changes this

Schedule or Death

“sorry, could you repeat that?” “huh? oh yeah, i was saying that--” “yeah that’d be cool.”

cats, fishing, he just likes to be quiet. you can literally spend a day at the beach just to think if you want, and that is what yu want

has a lot of scripts for things (of which he shares with nanako!) but if he runs out he just stops talking..

inaba is a godsend bc its so fucking quiet and warm

he Yearns to hold his friends hands, but he shies away from a lot of touch (excepting yosuke, teddie, and nanako)

Cooking and Cleaning makes the world better. he and joker vibe together with this

unlike akiren, he strong arms any executive dysfunction into Be Productive or Else. his punishment is feeling the pure anxiety of having to make up for ‘lost time’. (another symptom of his workaholic parents)

writes everything down, notes are very neat, has pages dedicated for bad doodles when hes not feeling his usual Super Classroom Focus

Cannot handle secondhand embarrassment (most often caused by yosuke) and will quietly slip away to random cats or origami folding

hungry, crunch crunch folks. probably needs chewelry bc he used to chew on his shirt collars when he was younger.

cleans up after everyone in the food court, constantly worries about them accidently hurting themselves. likely spends half of group conversations watching peoples hands

he canonically eats expired food, nanako plz help your brother

really clumsy, but people only notice after they decide that he is a cool person

video games are too chaotic for him

exhausted every night from the pure amount of masking he does, if a friend spends the night (or is like yosuke) they will know his more comfortable weirdo self (tho everyone knows hes a weirdo eventually)

hyperempathetic, sometimes just understands animals and children better than peeople his age or older

Yukiko

her jokes

she and souji get in ‘trouble’ together, she and joker commit crimes together

she and chie have to coordinate outfits, its important

actually understands metaphors, but does not understand people

like me, had no clue that creepy kid was flirting with her

she is very angry when she has meltdowns that might involve slamming doors and shouting. her parents call these ‘tantrums’ and ‘unfitting for a polite daughter’ but really thats because her meltdowns tend to be caused by arguments w her family after a long day of school and TV world traipsing

the metronome meme, except hers goes between Loudest Person in the Room to Quietest Pin Drop in the Planet. she is completely unaware of this

her atmosphere brightens when chie appears. that is not only the lesbian energy within her, but also because chie is like her Favorite Person

Cannot wear Pants. No (tho she wants to try it! but she puts them on and her soul instantly squashes)

happy flappy lesbian! watch out!

Naoto

the pouty face. all the time lskdfjlasdkf

hes really snappy sometimes and i love that for him. he and akechi should fight just to see what would happen (please read Bang Bang Shoot Shoot on AO3)

“do not touch me or my hat, thank you”

no one has ever seen him shutdown and no one ever will (except for his grandpa)(and kanji)(and rise)

probably likes certain food textures and will stand for nothing less, probably feels embarrassed about his preferences with friends

constantly jumps between ‘everybody hates me so i should act like them so they dont hate me’ to ‘i refuse to be anything but very comfortable as myself, and i dont care that im making you upset sir’

he and souji are the king and queen of subtle stims, but for unhappy reasons :(

does not make jokes. cannot joke around. understand? yes, do? no.

loose clothes are the only good clothes, but all tags and obtrusive seams will be obliterated by kanji tatsumi

not very empathetic so he probably comes off as an asshole to strangers (like when he throws away his classmates confession letters without reading them) but he tries so hard to sound comforting when his buds are struggling.

his understanding of others emotions/reactions come from his learning as a detective, which seems cold+clinical to others, especially compared to souji, whos completely unexpressive but very introverted people person

Hamuko/Minako/Kotone

big personality!! very people-oriented!! koromaru and her are buddies!! when shes having a real bad time, shes very quiet and expressions turn off

interrupts herself in the middle of conversations all the time. no one knows where shes coming from. her brains is thousands of km ahead of her body

bouncey legs, swingin arms, twirlly skirt, little somersaults! when will she stop? never!

very obvious music stims with her hands and arms! people are like “oh there she goes! happy as usual!” shes listening to minatos heavy metal playlist

switches from exhausted to excited within milliseconds. no one can predict, not even her

SEES has to ask her for context all the time cuz she’ll just continue shit from 2 weeks ago without warning

professionals will assume shes very childish bc of how chipper she is, but she is beyond mature for her age and only feels comfortable enough to have serious conversations if a person has proved themself able to handle it

collects every little thing. her room is a mess and she has to get rid of most of it every time she moves :(

hates cleaning! smells bad, feels bad hhhhhgggg

dont let mitsuru-senpai see her bedroom

gets lost in the middle of conversations with others bc shes thinking about a story connected to one(1) word that was said earlier

no sense of time and place, she just sees her friends and goes “ah, this is the right place, then” but junpei and akihiko are also lost so now theyre all screwed

Minato/Makoto/Sakuya

no talkies, no walkies

his story in the movies is him literally learning how to function around people he cares for

doesnt get jokes, expressions, body language, empathy, subtlety, metaphors, physical contact, or eye contact. aigis is probably the only person he truly understands right away

he is still nice to people because he doesnt see a reason not to be, but also he has very limited energy so only his senpai and old people get his most polite-kindnesses

cannot describe feelings for the life of him. the team wont know hes injured or sick until hes passed out

everything is too loud, time to drown it out with my loud ass music

rocking and chewing stims, ryoji is the first person to point him out for these subtle stims (not accusingly of course, just general pure curiosity and love for the uniqueness of humanity)

likes to cover his face with whatever is available, lives like a bat in a dark dry cave

will wear anything that has pockets and his blue/gray/black palette

sleepy at all times bc he never has much energy

when he was younger he probably needed a lot of support, especially after his parents died, because he wouldnt communicate like a neurotypical and would shutdown for hours in the middle of school without warning. probably missed a lot of lessons and field trips out of pure overstimulation

eating at all times. no preference, just whatevers closest

his meltdowns probalby include humming whining noises and curling up in a ball, which makes people want to touch him, but that is the LAST thing he wants. put a blanket on him! play some music! do not talk and do not expect him to speak

aigis is the only person who can touch him normally bc her hands are cold and he likes cold

never nude, feels mmmmmmmmm without clothes and probalby wears a full robe in the hotsprings

will not do things that take more than one step w/o someone else walking him thru it, which Same

#my writing #p3 #p4 #p5 #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #ren #futaba #souji #hamuko #minato #vibes straight thru the sun #i sincerely hope the read more works #im so srry for grammar problems #i literally cant read rn

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kumoriyami-xiuzhen · 4 years

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Hakuoki Zuisouroku Omokage-ge hana Animate Drama Translation

Last post of the month, but instead of my usual message, I figured I should change it due to current circumstances.... So. If you are able, please consider donating to your local food banks, the Red Cross or other charities who are supporting those affected by Covid-19. Alternatively, consider donating blood (including this since I saw this on CBC and from the Canadian Blood Services and they both mentioned potential shortages), tipping those who deliver your food/take out delivery (every dollar counts to some of these people - I would know since I’m unemployed right now cuz of what’s going on but will able to get by. huzzah for the Canadian government!), or support other content creators, writers, translators and artists who need help if possible.

Also make sure you wash your hands for 20 seconds, avoid touching your face, cough into your sleeve/elbow, practice social distancing and refrain from going out if possible.... and please, please do not go singling out a certain ethnicity for how things are right now. I have a second cousin who works in a hospital down in california, and another living in new york right now.... and the last thing they need is racism and harassment.

Anyway. I’m finally done with this drama. not really fond of putting things all together since that means i need to translate more hakuoki content for another week (i prefer to do less lol), but i’ve made an exception to this as the audio was supplied to me earlier by Aysha (which is also why i had this drama jump the queue lol). Edits will be done when I get to my subtitle video.

do not repost elsewhere. also thank you to @jokertrap-ran for helping me with 2 sentences that i just couldn’t figure out the Chinese for (they’re the ones left in bold), and thank you again to Aysha for supplying the audio.

Videos are now here

Track 1: https://youtu.be/ETTfJHCKOkk

Track 2: https://youtu.be/Nnp0mE_DLmw

enjoy?

Hakuoki Zuisouroku Omokage-ge hana Animate Drama CD Shimabara After story

Track 1

Translation by KumoriYami

Harada: Okay! Well now that this Shimabara incident is over, let's take the opportunity to drink! Everyone don't hold back [says: be modest], we aren't going home until we're drunk/unless we get drunk!

Okita: Arresting/Catching so many ronin, Kondou-san was also very happy! He also said that the spies hiding here were also arrested by the Shinsengumi.

Saito: However it seems that the Vice-Commander was a little anxious/upset. Because of the investigation of the spies, [news of it] has already spread throughout Shimabara. Tonight's festivities, although it was approved by the vice-commander, he however said that we need to conduct ourselves with dignity [behave appropriately]

Souji: Yes/indeed. Then let's order some expensive food! Excuse me, please start with your most expensive wine in the store served with similar dishes!

Saito: Wait a moment! Why are you doing the opposite! The vice-commander clearly said, that we should be holding a meeting to reflect upon ourselves, and should not be celebrating by drinking.....

Souji: Eh, I can't hear anything!

Harada: heisuke, what's wrong? You haven't said anything from the start. Are you still brooding over what happened?

Heisuke: Wha....what do you mean by brooding? Sano-san. Don't say things that don't make sense/something strange.

Souji: What what? What are you brooding over/what's the matter?

Harada: Ah, so it's like this......

Heisue: Hey, I told you not to say anything unnecessary!

Harada: Ah, sorry. can't you just say it?

Souji: Are you keeping a secret from us? That's really annoying [unpleasant].

Heisuke: Since it's only a small matter, I haven't said anything.

Souji: In that case just enjoy yourself to the fullest. Thanks to her dressing up as a geisha, she was able to infiltrate Shimabara to obtain information, and we were able to catch all those roshi at once.

Heisuke: But.... I din't want to have her dressed up like that..... [force?]

Souji: Areh?

Heisuke:.......What.

Souji: Hm~? it turns out/so that's what it was, it was that thing.

Heisuke: Don't smile like that!

Souji: How annoying, my usual expression is like this.

Heisuke: Liar! Whenever Souji shows this kind of expression, you're definitely not thinking of anything good!

Souji: Actually/In fact you don't need to feel embarrassed, could it be that Heisuke didn't think that she looked lovely dressed as a geisha?

Harada: [it's?] Because she was originally a beauty [from the start she's already beautiful]

Souji: That response is really straight to the point/direct. Compared to Heisuke who felt embarrassed/shy because of how cute she looked dressed as a geisha, the reactions of everyone else was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Heisuke: Why am I being dragged into his! I only that because she's not a member of the troopi, that she shouldn't be taking on such a dangerous assignment, that's all......

Harada: For the purpose of keeping her out of danger, weren't we on standby in the corner room?? You were great, shouting "that's not good," [and] "I can't stand this" or something, and rushed outside.

Heisuke: Why are you telling the truth!!! Anyway shut up and stop talking you idiot!

Harada: Whoops, i'm really sorry.

Souji: Eh..... so that's it. I didn't expect that.

Heisuke: No, that's not [it]......!s

Saito (whispering): Actually/In fact I can understand Heisuke's thoughts...... at the time I was also deeply fascinated [entranced/captivated] by how she was dressed.

Souji: Hajime-kun?

Saito: Ah...Uh, sorry, i'ts nothing...Well, I did just say it...

Souji: Well, I can hear you very well. It turns out that even Hajime-kun was also deeply fascinated by her dress [check if says kimono. also rephrase later].

Saito : !!!! I, I didn't mean [it like?] that! Just, just because I was unfamiliar with how she dressed, doesn't mean that I was attracted [to it? her?]....... [rephrase later]

Souji: In other words, you admit that you're attracted to her?

Saito: No....... In any case I am also a captain in the Shinsengumi so how could I think of something so shameless when I am carrying out my duties! Anyhow, where is she? It seems that she hasn't arrived here yet......

Harada: Hijikata-san and Shinpachi should be bringing her over soon.

(the sound of footsteps and a door sliding open)

???: I just saw her a moment ago being questioned at the entrance of Shimabara. And together with Hijikata.

Heisuke: You are.... Kazama?! (reaches for sword)

Kazama: Put away your sword. I'm in a good mood today, and have no reason to fight you.

Souji: What does your so-called good mood mean/what do you mean by good mood?

Kazama: That goes without saying. Of course it's because I saw my wife's beautiful dress [appearance]. As expect, my eyes did not make a mistake [were not wrong].

Saito: Yukimura is not your wife. Her attitude towards you has been blatant/explicit.

Kazama: I've heard that woman who grow up in Edo are very strong. Even if she fell in love with me, she wouldn't show it.

Souji: Where does your self-confidence come from?

Harada: Go back to that [going back to what you said before], Chizuru's being interrogated?! Did someone discover her identity as a woman......

Kazama: It's because of the elopement incident that Hijikata caused which seems to have [caused her to be] been noticed [rephrase later].

Souji: Eh~ I just heard some extraordinary gossip [interesting]. It turns out that Hijikata-san already had such a reputation at Shimabara/Hijikata-san's reputation has spread to such an extent at Shimabara.

Harada: Oi, Souji. For the sake of safety/To be on the safe side, don't speak of this/go around spreading this to the other team members......

Souji: How hateful/annoying, I won't speak of such nonsense. But in the event that someone asks me if the Vice-Commander is or isn't with a geisha from Shimabara, I won't hide anything/speak without holding back.

Kazama: Alright [Very well... or something cuz its kazama], [let's] start drinking. The depressed guy over there, hurry up and prepare sake for me.

Heisuke: Oi! Why are you sneaking into our party?!

(After a while......)

Heisuke (sounds drunk for the rest of this track): Speaking of which.... I was against this plan from the very beginning!

Saito:......Heisuke, did you drink too much? Your eyes are starting to droop [lose focus].

Heisuke: Teach me how to not drink so much!

Saito: Why are you so upset?

Heisuke: I'm super pissed!!! For a covert investigation, we actually didn't need to use her, as long as we paid a geisha to assist us, but she was abruptly dragged down into this by us.

Saito: Your way of thinking isn't understandable, but it was also her who took the initiative to help us, [so] your criticisms are a little too much. [check audio to hear if this sounds like multiple sentences]

Harada: That's right. Based on the outcome, nothing big happened, [which] this isn't bad.

Souji: Seeing how cute she was dressed, Heisuke was definitely/obviously very happy.

Heisuke: You smiling demon [???]!!! Compared to those clothes, the clothes of an ordinary woman clearly suit her more [rephrase later]!!

Harada: maybe, I'd also like her to see her dressed like an ordinary woman.

Heisuke: Hey......Sano-san, I've wanted to ask you.... She.... what is she to you?

Harada: Hm? I don't really think much of it but, is something the matter? Why do you ask? [i’ll reword ^ later when i get to the drama]

heisuke: I feel that Sano-san.... your attitude, rather than a comrade, you treat her more as a woman.

Harada: That's the [your?] problem. Although she's usually dressed in men's clothes, she's still genuinely a woman. It's only natural to treat her as a woman/Of course she still has to be treated as a woman.

Heisuke: [That's/so] Too sly/cunning......!

Souji: If Heisuke wants to treat her as a girl, he should be honest and say so and not be secretive about it..

Kazama: (setting down a glass) Toudou...... could it be that you have ill intentions towards my wife [TL is more or less evil thoughts/desire lol]? First take a look in a mirror [Look at yourself in the mirror first].

Heisuke: Shut up! You're the last one to be teaching me anything [last one who she be saying anything] ! She hates you the most out of all of us!!!

Kazama: I remember what I said just now [Remember what I said just now], Edo women, even if they fall in love, they will not express their true thoughts.

Saito:......I think it'd be nice if Heisuke could have a face as thick as Kazama's [if Heisuke could be as thick-headed as Kazama.... probably? or if Heisuke could have a face that had a fraction of Kazama's thickness]

Heisuke: Hajime-kun where the hell did your arm go?!

Souji: Don't first talk about Heisuke, what about yourself Hajime-kun [rephrase later]? Are you confident enough to defeat a crowd of rivals in love while surrounded and at her side?

Saito:......What are you talking about! The team has rules that ban personal fights!

Souji: That is to say, if it's not a personal fight, we're allowed to fight until one of us is dead/you'd fight to the death?

Saito:.....Why must you twist other people's words to this degree/extent!

Kazama: You bastard...... it seems that I'll have to force the truth from your mouth. Oi, Toudou. bring out the strongest sake in the store! I'm going to expose what his sincere thoughts he has [will have the truth forced from this man].

Heisuke: Why are you ordering me around!? Wait a moment/Hold on...... this is for getting Hajime-kun drunk so he'll tell the truth...... Yosh! I'm going to get/grab it at once/immediately!

(Heisuke gets up and runs out)

Saito: Wait! It doesn't matter that you guys are already drunk, but I cannot get drunk [now]......

Souji: (pours sake) Don't say that, let's drink without holding back! These opportunities are hard to come by!

---------------------------------------

Track 2

Hijikata: It was pointed out that Yukimura looked a lot like the geisha who eloped the other day...... It look a while/lot of time to settle that mater.

(door opens)

Hijikata: I've made you wait for a long time! Sorry, I sent Yukimura back first with Shinpachi to headquarters......Eh, what's going on?!

Souji: Ah. Hijikata-san, you're really late.

Hijikata: You're the one that's late! Harada and Heisuke are completely drunk!

Kazama: What are you saying/talking about. It's your fault that you're always so slow.

Hijikata: Kazama! You bastard why are you here?!

Kazama: Don't mention that, why haven't you brought my wife?

Hijikata: Who's your wife! It's because she got upset from being interrogated, she first went back to headquarters.......Geez, this isn't the time to be getting involved with that guy. You guys! Stand up! Didn't I warn you guys about conducting yourself properly!?

Harada: Ah! If it isn't Hijikata-san! Now that Hijikata-san is here, we need to start from the begining! If you ask me about when I got this scar on my stomach......

Hijikata: I've said it many times [but] I've heard already heard your [that] story before.

Heisuke: Hijikata-san! I wanna ask you...... were you really planning on eloping with her/is it true that you were really going to elope with her?

Hijikata: Ha?! Where the hell did you hear that from? At best, that's a misunderstanding since I'd never do something like that!

Souji: Eh? Is that really true? I thought that Hijikata-san wasn't the kind of person who would do something that could cause people to misunderstand in this way/who would ever do something so misleading. [or just misleading]

Heisuke: Then it's true! Hijikata-san used his position as vice-commander to elope with her, this method is too despicable!

Hijikata: Didn't I say, that I didn't do any of that! Can't you understand [Why can't you understand that]!

Saito: Exactly. If the Vice-Commander wanted to take Yukimura, he would not employ such callow and clumsy tricks, rather he would adopt a more complex and sophisticated course of action [tactics...?].

Hijikata:......Oi, Saito, are you trying to protect me or kill me? Give me a clear-cut position [clear answer]!

Saito: What are you saying. I will always be on the vice-commander's side. [literally: i will forever stand with/at the vice-commander's side whenever]

Hijikata: It's great that your on my side......

Souji: Right now it's pointless to say anything to Hajime-kun. Because regardless of what you say to hajime-kun, his expression won't change even though he's actually already completely drunk.

Hijikata: to actually like to say this kind of things, anyway it's you guys' fault that he's [this?] drunk!

Kazama: You came at just the right time (pours wine). Hijikata. Answer me. What kind of intentions do you have towards my wife who you have confined to your headquarters?

Hijikata: What kind of intentions [what do you mean by intentions]? Why should I answer you?

Souji: Isn't there a reason? Hijikata-san has said himself that he likes women from Edo.

Kazama: What? Then it's true.......

Hijikata: What "it's true" nonsense ! Souji! Quit always saying such misleading things!

Heisuke: Ah~ so it's like that, Hijikata-san's aiming for her too? Despite how he was so strict over a mere mistake!

Hijikata: I'm telling you, I wasn't planning on doing that......!

Harada: But to secretly protect her......

Hijiakta hey wait! When did I do that!

Kazama: I see. So it was like that. (picks up sword) Hijikata..... even if it costs me all of my pride and dignity/honour, I will have you buried here today/I will kill you today!

Hijikata: don't misunderstand me [don't misunderstand/quit misunderstanding]! She was allowed to stay at headquarters for the sake of/for the purpose finding Kodo-san, because of that, she was given the identity of a page.......

Souji: But don't you call her every few days to your room to have her make you tea? A lone man and a woman in a room, in the end, who knows what might have happened~ [between them?] [depending on the audio i'll make thr second sentence longer/shorter]

Kazama: What.... [very] good/great Hijikata, to go as far as to use/to actually make use of your position to do this sort of thing!! I will not spare you! this opportunity just arrived [this is a golden opportunity/the perfect chance?]! We'll settle this over wine/drinking!

Hijikata: HA?! why did this happen?!

Heisuke DAMN IT~~~~!!!! it turns out that Hijikata-san is a rival (in love)————！！！！ Oi, Kazama! We have a temporary alliance! Hijikata-san! We're going to drink to decide this!

Saito: The Vice-commander and Yukimura....!? Ah.... What is the truth to this emotion buried deep within my heart [what is the meaning to this emotion buried deep within my heart]? Without drinking, I can't calm/dispel my resentment!!

Harada: Although it is important to respect that her personal opinions...... if we're using wine to determine a victor, I will accept this challenge!

Hijikata: I didn't say any of that, you're getting it all wrong!!! You guys, listen to me!

【END】

---------------------------------------

image swiped from suruga-ya... i will definitely be rephrasing most of the 2nd half of track 2 for more... conversational word sense. couldn't think of how to make things sound natural when i posted this but i'll get that done along with all the necessary editing later when i get to making my srt file for this drama.... aiming to have the subtitles done for next month (currently working on the files now).

also, next month im planning on mostly ssl game content... and to have the remainder of all Zuisouroku game content posted in may... (i now officially have enough tl+imags posts queued til the end of may).

stay safe ppl!

(p.s. in case you didn’t see my psa, i’m sharing a number of hakuoki vids and art books. full list is on my tumblr page “stuff i have”)

#hakuoki #hakuouki #hakuoki zuisouroku #hakuoki drama translation #hakuoki drama cd

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pixxyofice · 4 years

Text

You guys know how in PQ2 there are scenes that jokingly give the members of other teams Phantom Thief names? How these names were not the most serious, how they weren't exactly treated seriously?

Well. I decided I wanted to give a serious shot at trying to determine what the Investigation Team's Phantom Thief names would be. Note that due to a lack of familiarity with the SEES members that I won't be doing them; just the Investigation Team members.

The Phantom Thief Outfits are based on what someone's Image Of Rebellion is. The Phantom Thieves (usually) name themselves after the image their Phantom Thief outfit represents. If not that, then they are named after something meaningful to the Phantom Thief themselves (which can tangentially relate to the outfit in some way.)

For examples...

Joker looks like the traditional Gentleman Thief. His name relates to how his wild card ability makes him a useful asset up the sleeves of the thieves. The Joker's power can depend based on what game of cards you are playing, after all, sort of like... Well, Joker.

Queen looks like a post apocalyptic hero, which are usually in Very Badass Action Scenes. Cool scarves, odd outfits, spikes and metal armor... Very cool. As someone with a position of power, she can be seen as a sort of 'ruler'... A Queen.

Noir looks like a musketeer. Traditionally defenders of justice, known for a tale where they fight off evil to their kingdom. Noir named herself that because she views herself as working on the darker side of the law... hence the French word for black. (Which actually fits her thief outfit a lot! The french, I mean.)

So when giving the IT thief names, we have to consider what their personal images of rebellion would look like. Along with that, we have to consider what they would name themselves based on those images.

Let's get started.

Souji Seta/Yu Narukami. (I prefer Souji, so that is the name i'm going to use.)

Souji's image of rebellion very likely closely resembles his Persona. What was his persona based off of... A banchou or something? Kingpin, whatever. His image of rebellion seems to be a cool, collected, intimidating figure. See his Persona and also how he dressed up for the cross dressing pageant. His mask could look very similar to Izanagi's mask.

As Souji is similar-ish to Joker, I reasoned that Souji would be named in a similar manner. He is the leader of the team, the level head making the decisions... And a Wild Card. His look is intimidating, like a Kingpin, so... Name him after a strong card in a deck, or the central piece of a chess board: King. (After all, if he falls, the game is over.)

Yosuke Hanamura.

I'll be real with you. I thought image of rebellion for Yosuke, and I thought Superheroes. Sure, his first persona looks like a Ninja... But all of his Personas have a Hero Vibe to them, yeah? And he wanted to look into the TV world because he wanted to be a hero... So, Superhero Costume. His mask would probably be that Traditional Superhero Mask.

As for his codename? Knowing him, he'd probably try to come up with something Cool. Hero Sounding. I am not good with names, alas, but... What I came up with is Galestorm. It fits his wind vibes, it's a cool sounding word... Uh... I dunno. It fits him maybe!!

Chie Satonaka.

Let's be real here. Her image of rebellion is TOTALLY the protagonists of kung-fu movies. She would probably wear a yellow tracksuit, like her Persona, which.... Yeah, reference. As for her mask? ... Haha I have no idea, y'all come up with one.

As for her name.... Well, Dragon. As in Trial Of The Dragon. Alongside that nifty reference, Dragons, as mythical creatures go, could very well fit Chie. Protective, aggressive towards those it deems a threat, a fiery attitude... Its pretty good! Maybe!

Yukiko Amagi.

Yukiko Amagi's image of rebellion is likely closely related to birds. You look at her outfit and you probably think 'bird'. Remember in the Anime how Yukiko admired her pet bird for being able to fly free? Yeah. That. That's why her image of rebellion would be birdlike. Her mask could resemble plague doctor masks, somewhat. Think a less pointy Prince Akechi and also it covers more of her forehead for Beak.

As for her name? She would likely connect the feathers on her outfit to the attachments of her Persona, which represent... Sakura Petals/Blossoms. She probably had a thought jump from "sakura" to "flower terms", and probably prefers Blossom out of the two terms she thought of. It sounds pretty... But also has a tougher name Feel than Petal. Blossom sounds more like a codename, too!

Kanji Tatsumi.

Lets be real here. There's a reason the Thieves named him Skull 2.0. Their images of rebellion would be... similar? Kanji's is influenced by various outside factors, including a certain manly push, but still. His costume would probably represent his punk ideal... maybe subtly mix in his preference for cute things here and there in accessories? Dunno.

As for his codename? Well, he looks tough, and he is tough! He's the one to point to if you want someone to smack people down. Call him... Breaker. Because he breaks things. (Additional thing I only realized and laughed at now: he's an electric user. Aren't Breakers also the names of the things you use to control whats powered in the house...?)

Rise Kujikawa.

I'll be honest, I... Have no clue. In the version of this post that I lost, I think I HAD a clue, but it went with the wind. If I were to think, though... Maybe her image of rebellion is... sorta like Panther's. She has an image of a woman who is assured of herself, knows herself and her friends, and reflects their brightest points. A somewhat revealing outfit, but one that's... mature? I don't know... Her mask would probably resemble Himiko's "face" of solar panels (somehow).

As for her codename... Let's think about how she's the IT's support. Or... Well, her Persona. Her Maxed Persona has a solar system orbiting around her, with the Persona itself being the very center, like a sun. The Investigation Team could be like those planets; strong and sturdy on their own, thriving with the touch of the sun. She's like... Sunlight is necessary for a human to live, and she provides that sunlight for her teammates to stand even taller. With her outfit idea in mind... Sunlight sounds too "young". So perhaps Sunbeam for her codename. Same idea, but sounds Better!

Teddie.

...... Hey, before I just go right out and say it... Technically... Aren't both of Teddie's forms some form of rebellion from the other Shadows? He formed his bear image so he could be loved by humans, and then formed his human image so he could be with his human friends. That... That's rather unique, isn't it? Could be a rebellion in itself.

... And now for me to just say... It's Ted. Teddie gets the Morgana treatment here. A shortened version of his name that just sums up that, yep, he sure is a bear that helps in fighting shadows. No fancy name for him.

Naoto Shirogane.

Naoto's image of rebellion is rather simple, honestly! ... The outfits of the heroes of shows like Neo Featherman! Sure, Naoto admires detectives and loves reading/watching detective things... But thats not their image of rebellion. When they think rebel, they think of posing live action heroes, fighting bad guys regardless of the laws! As for their mask... Uh. Bandana across face look. Also worth noting: their Persona's little wing/cape thing would Definitely be a part of their thief outfit.

As for their name... Naoto would probably go with something on the simpler side. Their outfit reminds them of their Persona, who is bug based, and thus, bug theme names. Wasp... Beetle... Moth. Moth fits their Persona's wing/cape thing the most, and sounds sort of soft... But if you underestimate Naoto, they'll show you that their softer name hides a brain of steel and a quick trigger finger.

So... The Investigation Thieves are:

Souji Seta/Yu Narukami - King

Yosuke Hanamura - Galestorm

Chie Satonaka - Dragon

Yukiko Amagi - Blossom

Kanji Tatsumi - Breaker

Rise Kujikawa - Sunbeam

Teddie - Ted

Naoto Shirogane - Moth

What do you guys think? Should I have come up with better names? Reblog/Tag with your thoughts!

please I know there could be better names for Yosuke and I know someone out there has a good Rise Thief Image, please

#persona 4 #persona 5 #pq2 #persona q2 #long post #yosuke hanamura #chie satanoka #yukiko amagi #kanji tatsumi #rise kujikawa #teddie #naoto shirogane #souji seta #yu narukami #there. the IT.

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kawaiikatanabushi · 4 years

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Hi!! I was wondering if I could request 11, 14, 25 and 31 from your angst list! ☺️

Angst Prompt # 14. "Why do You flinch every time I raise my hand?"

Hello, followers! I bet most of you forgot that I do have an angst prompt for Okichi or Souji still open. Fear not, for I didn't forget! In fact, it and Souji has been prodding me for months to write. Real life has been getting in the way, and I do apologize that it has been so long since I completed one of these. This was asked for by @nsfwmello. Thank you for waiting so very long! I hope you enjoy! It's a Beauty and the Beast adaptation idea I've been entertaining for a while. ;3

“Why do you flinch every time I raise my hand?” the Beast asked, his cat-like ears lowering in tandem with an outstretched paw as his morose green eyes gazed into her startled brown.

"Y-you startled me," Chizuru professed, trying to quell the fervid beatings of her heart, and steady the trembling in her voice, "I-I-I didn't even ex-expect you,"

"After five months, you still fear me," he muttered, his focus trailing to the ground and he gave a mirthless laugh as he whispered darkly to himself, "The first person who hasn't tried to kill me in a thousand years and she trembles every time I step near her. Lucky me to have such company,"

Chizuru blinked uncertainly, her mind recalling the winter day five long months ago she had decided to run from her arranged marriage. She did not want to marry a man she hadn't met for the sake of her family's bloodline remaining pure. She knew it was her duty as a princess, but her uncle was unmoving in his pressing her to matrimony. She had stolen away, only her twin knowing of her escape. She had fled from her village, traipsing over the mountains until she had run out of provisions. She had stumbled upon this stately castle tucked upon the mountainside, seeking shelter, rest and a meal. Instead she had angered the Beast, forced into imprisonment all because she had nearly plucked one magical rose from his garden. Was it any wonder she shook with fright at his approach? She was alone in the world, trapped in an enchanted palace with a towering magical creature, unable to leave of her own volition. Aside from all that, he tended to grouch a great deal.

"Can you be surprised?" She whispered, though quietly it was defiantly, "You are frightening in stature and temper. I'm afraid you'll hit me, that's why I flinch,"

"Hit you?" He repeated her statement, eyes rounding with hurt pride, "Why would I ever do that?"

"Because, you say that if I run away, you'll kill me. Would you not hit me if I angered you?" She asked, her voice growing in strength.

"No." Pain shown within his eyes, a deep-seated and inexplicable flicker coursing through, a mirror to his soul.

"But, you'd kill me if I ran?" She pointed out, eyes resolutely remaining on the engawa floor.

"That's different, " he huffed, crossing his arms over his burly chest.

"Violence is violence. Here I am, imprisoned and all alone with only my thoughts and a threatening beast. You punished me over almost picking a flower. You took my freedom over it. How can I not fear you? How can I not flinch?" She was growing insistent, passionate in her stance.

It was the first time she had ever stood up to him and it caused a conflicting ripple to seize his heart. He liked this independent streak and even saw it attractive, yet he also knew that she saw him as a monster. A cruel and intimidating being that only sought to restrict and enslave. That wasn't who he was, not truly. Time had corrupted him, turned his heart nearly to stone. He was hunted for sport, threatened to be driven from his only home and away from the last remnants of all he wanted to protect. He still considered himself a guardian and he was willing to try anything he could to life this curse. Most frustrating of all, he couldn't speak a word of it to her. He had no ability to explain, only sink further into loneliness and depression as she was repulsed by him. Only trouble was, pain generally came out in the emotional response that was most comfortable to him: anger.

"I'm not a monster! Might as well say it to my face!" He nearly roared, though if she had looked closer, she would have seen the tears welling in his eyes, "I'm actually... I'm a... I'm not... I'm really... I started as...Grrr! I just wanted to brush the sakura our of your hair! I won't just kill you over a walk!"

She winced at the final outburst and he turned from her sharply, disappearing down a corridor to block the view of her retreating and in all likelihood crying form. He stomped down the hall, taking a slice through a paper door with his claws. It did little to quell his mood. He ran his hand through his mane, closing his eyes against the guilt gnawing inside his stomach.

"I'm not a monster, I'm not," he mumbled to himself, leaning against a doorframe, "I know the stakes of this. They're too hard. I won't get her to like me, let alone anything else. We will all be stuck this way, forever. She hates me. They expect far too much of me... this was all my fault in the first place. I can't do it. No one will ever love a beast. Nor should she. I don't deserve it. I wouldn't love me either. She won't ever..."

A tear rolled off his muzzle onto the floor. Her arrival reminded him of his own loneliness. A thousand years without anyone to speak normally with, to eat together and talk about the cherry blossoms. His desires were simple but the situation too complicated. Though she did not know it, he had been concealing himself in the shadows for months, watching her. At first, it had been to protect the garden and keep her as far away from destroying anything as he could manage. Then, he began to grow fond of her. She was adorable, petite and had this insatiable goodness about her. She was nothing like the darkness he was. She was light and hope, things he had long cast aside. He wanted her to like him in return. He was lonely with an aged sadness.

"I'm a fool," he sniffed, grooming away the tears, "I had forgotten what it was to cry. If she had never come, I wouldn't be as I am now. I wouldn't remember what I was or how things were. Her presence... her tenderness. Why... it's almost more of a curse,"

He pulled himself off the post to go hole up in his room. She wouldn't want to see him for days and he would grant that request. She wouldn't be forced to share dinner or take a stroll with him. She could hate him if she wished. In fact, he would join her in the act. He moaned out an inhuman sigh as he curled up within his nest of blankets. Eventually, he would nurse the ancient wounds and bestow upon her a gift. At least he had these conjuring abilities, despite the general unpleasantness of this curse. Maybe he would create a pretty kimono or a beautiful fan as way of an apology. If she could never like him, maybe she could like the gifts he gave.

"Maybe she won't jump so much when I approach," he mumbled to himself sleepily, "She's a pretty girl. Pretty girls like pretty things, right? Or, maybe, I should give her a toy to pass the time. She must be bored. I'd give her a horse, but she'd use it to leave. I have to wait a few years before I can let her go. I won't take too many of her youth. Maybe three or four. She can spare three or four... mmm... she does want to escape though. Maybe... maybe she reads? Books are like escape. I have books. Maybe... maybe she wants..."

He was drifting and gently shook his head. He would ponder these things after a nap. It was too much of a puzzle to consider on a sleepy mind. Maybe he could show her that he wasn't all bad. Either that, or end in frightening failure, but he wouldn't dwell on that. After all, she had finally fought back against him. He hadn't completely crushed her. Maybe there was hope for a friendship, if she still held her human resolve. Perhaps, with small exposure and familiarity built, he could at least spend an afternoon with her.

"I'm so tired of myself," he muttered unhappily, unable to open his eyes as sleep beckoned, "I want to focus on someone... anyone else but me..."

Sleep prevailed over his own hesitation and unwillingness. For the first time in a long time, his dreams were peaceful and serene, in complete opposition to his usual dreams of failure or being hunted. Rest was a welcome thing if his dreams would remain this way. Perhaps, they were an omen to a brighter future.

#hakuouki #hakuoki #okita souji #yukimura chizuru #okichi #okita souji x yukimura chizuru #angst prompt #kawaiikatanabushi writes #beauty and the beast adaptation #fanfiction #fanfic #ficlet #fic #sorry for the delay #i hope you enjoy

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c-is-for-circinate · 5 years

Note

A while ago you mentioned really hating the Persona 4 protagonist as Yu Narukami (from the crossover games and possibly the animation) but liking him as Souji Seta (from the manga, I think?), which is also the name you seem to use most regularly. If you don't mind, could you explain the difference and why you prefer one over the other?

FUCK YES I CAN

(there are Persona people on my dash, that’s so fucking exciting, I have many things to say about these video games and the fandom is small)

Okay so I have lots of thoughts and feelings about the protags from Personas 3, 4, and 5 in general, and about the various versions of them that show up in various media. It has to do with names and gender and how the very specific conventions of being the silent protag of a JRPG translate into creating character, and I could ramble about this forever, so it’s going behind a cut.

Step one: all Persona Wild Card protagonists are genderqueer and neurodivergent. Period.

A persona is, theoretically in game lore, a reflection of your soul–specifically, a reflection of the part of you that you choose to show the world, because it’s strong and powerful and keeps all the weak parts of you safe behind it. In early Persona games, every PC had a couple of different masks they could switch between, and that makes sense, but starting in P3 our party members each get one mask that eventually evolves into another one, and we-the-protag get more than a hundred.

We switch between masks constantly, at the drop of a hat. We learn to level these personas up, we figure out how to be these other people, by watching and learning to understand our friends. And there is something intensely queer about the fact that the masks we put on, with no pause or hesitation, can be male, can be female, can be both, can be neither. Sure, it’s possible to argue that the protag has any certain specific gender identity underneath/behind those masks, but then we’re heading straight towards a complicated discussion about what it means to pass as one gender, vs what it means to model yourself after individuals of one gender while passing or identifying s another, vs what it means to model your actions after a theoretical version of yourself that has a different gender than your own, and like, let us be honest, just having to get that deep into the weeds on that discussion is pretty inherently queer to begin with.

Add to that the essential nature of who Persona protags are as people, based on their reality as video game characters, and we get someone who really does not fit a ‘straight cis neurotypical’ frame. The entire scheduling system in Persona just speaks to every single part of my brain that understands executive dysfunction. You do exactly one thing per unit time. You can wander around town forever, but as soon as you stop to talk to another person, that’s it, that is your One Thing, that is all of the spoons you have for this time period, you can maybe do another thing later. This really hit home in Persona 5, where your protagonist has a goddamn talking service cat without whom he can’t remember how to start any task up to and including going to bed (and people bitched about Morgana so hard, but also #RELATABLE oh my god), but it’s there in 3 and 4 as well if you look. The P4 protag does favors for every single person in town. The P4 protag stands out in the rain fishing for hours. The P4 protag can accidentally spend an entire afternoon petting cats. The P4 protag tries to make tomorrow’s lunch and has to think for a while over whether to add soy sauce or sugar.

So: the video games give us these characters who are intended to be hollow so that we can fill them with our own self-projections (and maybe I am self-projecting here, why not, everybody else gets to do it), but that very hollowness is also a shape, do you see what I mean? You can extrapolate a person based on assuming the dialogue options the protagonists get are actual things that run through their minds, based on what choices are even available for them to make. You can ask questions about what it means to be so hollow in the first place, what it takes to be the sort of person who can switch masks in the blink of an eye when everybody else around you makes do with all of one. It’s really interesting to ask those questions.

Step two: the naming of Persona protags is complicated, and is as much a fandom question as it is a canon question.

In general, persona protags starting with P3 have gotten two names: one in the official manga that starts coming out right around the same time as the video game, and one in later animes and tie-in games. What this means, at least in Western fandom (I don’t know a ton about Japan-only fandom!) is that for the first year or more of having a protag, the only name we have for them is the manga name, and so that’s the name 99% of fandom jumps on in those first several months.

When we explore and extrapolate and do all of that extremely transformative fandom work, looking at the empty spaces around a protag and figuring out who he has to be to fill them (or she, the P3 FEMC is all of this dialed up to a hundred), we at least start doing that work under the manga name. To me–and, in my experience, to most of fandom, whether they think about it or not–the name has relatively little to do with the manga itself. It’s the name fandom had to hand when they first played the game and began to figure this person out. It’s the name for thousands of different interpretations that can fit inside the shell of a person the video game gives us.

I find that transformative labor, and those thousand different interpretations, wildly fascinating. I enjoy doing it myself. I like seeing what other people come up with. Figuring out how to fill the outline of a person who can be anyone (figuring out the difference between Minato Arisato, and Souji Seta, and Akira Kurusu, and learning who they are as individuals by picking out their contrasting spaces) is one of my favorite things about Persona.

The characters from the tie-in animes, then–and from P4 games like Arena and Dancing All Night, which are as much visual novel as video game, where the MC has an extremely distinct personal voice–each present one version of that infinitely-variable character. They’re a single interpretation. They’re a specific interpretation, separate from the many open options of the game itself, they just happen to come with a specific name.

Makoto Yuki, from the P3 anime, is a very different person than the character I played when I played P3, and they’re both very different than the person I write when I write Minato Arisato, the human I extrapolate when I look at all of canon and put my analysis goggles on. Now, I happen to love the P3 movies, and their interpretation of Makoto Yuki, who is a giant ball of severe depression and whom I consider an excellent exploration of the game’s themes of despair and mortality, but I love them like a really, really good fanfic. They don’t trump the ‘canon’ of the game for me; they’re an outgrowth of it. Likewise, I don’t know Ren Amamiya particularly well, but he’s a quiet guy with an inner well of sheer rage that really works for me in what I’ve seen of him. Not my Akira, but a cool dude.

In general, when I’m talking about Persona protags, I use the anime or tie-in game name to refer to the specific version of that character written in that game or anime, and the manga name to refer to that earlier, slightly hollow character of infinite possibilities and fandom interpretations. Which leads us to Souji and Yu.

Step 3: Yu Narukami is a fucking jackass

I think the big thing for me about Yu Narukami, the specific interpretation of P4 Protagonist as seen in the anime and tie-in games, is that he isn’t genderqueer or neurodivergent. Yu Narukami is perhaps the straightest character in all of Persona with the possible exception of Junpei Iori.

I don’t actually hate him in the anime all that much, but thinking about Arena-Yu…he’s a dude. He’s a fucking bro. He screws around with Yosuke over the suggestion of dirty magazines and he’s vaguely uncomfortable about Kanji. It’s been a while since I went through any game LP’s, but I remember the attitude Yu took towards his friends and Labrys, and it was authoritative. Certain. Of course Labrys can overcome her past, now that she has us here to be friends. Yukiko isn’t talking like I expect Yukiko to talk, so of course something is wrong with her.

Yu Narukami, as presented in the Arena games (and I’m pretty sure P4DAN, though it’s been even longer since I’ve seen that) is an In Charge kind of guy who Knows What’s Best for people, and doesn’t particularly need to listen to what they have to say to do it. He shows no sign of ever having molded himself around someone else; he does not present himself as a man (as a boy) who would or even could switch up who he is at a moment’s notice, because he doesn’t seem to be somebody who ever thinks there’s anything wrong with exactly who he is in the first place. Yu Narukami never had a shadow because he just thinks he’s Exactly That Cool all the way down. He pops the collar on his polo shirt not because he doesn’t know any better, but because he is actually that guy and always was.

Needless to say, that is not my Seta Souji, who spends hours petting cats, and rarely speaks up to bring order (let alone authority) to his rambunctious bickering friends in any discussion. It’s an interpretation, sure–and it’s even an interesting one!–but he is not a guy I particularly like.

So how do those two people, Yu and Souji, even fit together at all?

And this is where we go from me having opinions on various actual versions of characters as-written, and start diving into themes, theories, and mythological parallels. There is a way to tell the story where it all makes sense, where Souji (and even the Yu of the anime, who’s got more shades of asshole than my typical headcanon but still sits far closer to my personal version of the protag than any of the douchebro versions of Yu in the sequel games) ties into later-Yu and it’s a graceful, interesting, thematic choice.

I don’t think it was intentional on the part of the writers. But it does work. And here’s how.

Step 4: I go on a digression about persona protags and sacrifice

I have spent way too much time thinking about themes and parallels between Personas 3, 4, and 5 (someday I’ll watch some decent LPs of 1 and 2, but today is not yet that day, so we’ll stick to the Wild Card trilogy for now). One of the things that I love is the way each protag interacts with the big major theme thing of their game, losing it and gaining it and sacrificing it only to gain it yet again, and it happens in all three games.

In P3, the thing at the center of the game is life, in contrast to mortality. You’re in a car crash at age 6, your parents die, you carry Death Himself in the space behind your heart, you spend all game struggling to survive and also trying to figure out why you even care to bother. At the end you die so your friends can live, but also you’re not, quite, entirely dead–you are asleep, and at the end of all the world you’ll wake up and still be there, just you and Aigis and Elizabeth at the end of all things, alive and mortal. In P5 it’s freedom, and you start the game in chains, flash forward and flash back, breaking bonds and forging them right up to the point where you turn yourself into the police, only to eventually be found innocent of even the original crime that bound you to begin with. There are metaphors and angles to the whole thing, the way becoming Satanael is in its own way both a defiance of Yaldabaoth in front of you and a surrender, complying with the will of every furious desperate angry follower-believer-worshipper in the Tokyo streets, but what we care about most right now is how this shows up in Persona 4, where our thing is identity.

The Persona 4 protagonist, whoever he is, shows up in this small town with no identity at all. He had a life where people knew him, but the people in this small town don’t even have rumor and hearsay about dead parents or criminal charges to go on. And sure, every protagonist starts out on a train to a new town, but the P4 protagonist goes even farther than that. You show up in Inaba, and one of the very first things that happens to you, something that doesn’t happen to any Persona protag in any game I’ve ever seen, is that you lose your persona.

The starting persona in P4 is Izanagi. Based on the fact that Adachi’s persona is Izanagi, too, based on the fact that Izanami is the one who granted you access to the TV world and presumably a working persona to begin with, based on every theme and implication in the game–Izanami gives you your starting persona. She chooses who you are. She declares that you’re ‘hope’, and maybe you had some qualities that suited you for that role to begin with, but anyone you’ve ever been is gone now in service to your part in Izanami’s play.

One of the things I really liked in the P4 anime was the protag’s terror of being alone and empty. Now, I enjoy my Souji Seta as someone who’s a little bit hollow and empty–not in a bad way, but like a clear glass that can be filled with anything, and takes on the color and nature of whatever it holds–but right, in a story whose main theme is identity and accepting yourself, being infinitely transformable is both ideal and terrifying. If the P4 protag can be anyone, how can he be someone? In the end, the only identity that’s really his and not copied from one of his social links is the one that Izanami gave him. His final persona, Izanagi-no-Okami, has more to do with her than anything that comes from inside him.

Loss and gain, sacrifice and victory–the P4 protag goes back to his old life, sacrificing the person he’s created for himself here in Inaba to reclaim the person he theoretically used to be. Depending on how you read the ending, he gives up his infinite adaptability in order to fill himself with a final persona that is chosen for him, sacrificing his innate capacity to be anyone (which is in its own right a key characteristic of his self) in exchange for becoming someone, specifically a someone who was chosen for him.

(This is more my interpretation than anything I’d consider strictly canon, but–in my head, the P3 protag achieves that final moment of apotheosis, and the god-binding power that comes with it, from the sacrifice of his own life and also the fact that after Death lived in his heart for ten years straight he’s explicitly no longer entirely human to begin with. The P5 protag achieves it by sacrificing his own individual freedom to the collective belief and prayers of literal hordes of desperate people, which we know is full of power because that’s how cognition works. The P4 protag, I have always suspected just a little, gets it from the actual Izanagi–because if the actual Izanami is the source of all of this trouble, the actual Izanagi must exist too, and to trap a god you must be a god, in some small way. Our protag is given the tools of power to seal Izanami away, and in return he must become a tool of that power.)

There are a lot of ways to interpret the themes and echoes and actual events of P4 vs P4 Golden vs P3 and P5, and this isn’t necessarily Objective Truth, but this is very much where my head goes when I think about Souji Seta and Yu Narukami. Souji is the empty, unflappable chameleon boy who spends his time becoming whoever the people around him need him to be, whether that’s a silent confidant or a valiant hero. Yu is the bold, self-assured young man who has discovered or decided exactly who he is, and knows deep in his heart that he never has to hide or change for anyone, ever again.

Step 5: Yu is a dick because Izanagi is a dick, and okay, fine, I kind of love it that way

All of Persona 4 is about retelling the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, and changing the ending.

This is true for P3 and P5 too, of course. In P3 you walk into Tartarus with everyone you love already at your back, and you set them free to do their own thing (they make their own moves in battle, you don’t turn back to check on them, you trust them to follow or not follow on your own and every member in your team makes their greatest moments of personal growth without you there), but eventually one of you has to stay behind so the other can leave–so you fix Orpheus’s mistake, you stay in the underworld yourself so Eurydice and everyone else you love in the world can go home and live. In P5 you tell Satanael’s story backwards and forwards, the rise and the fall and the rise again; you start at the very bottom of your own pit (you start as the God of Control’s very own chosen one and don’t even know it), and eventually you climb so high that you’re the one who gets to cast God down into perdition instead. Start with one tale, end with another.

The story of Izanagi and Izanami is: once upon a time, through no fault of her own, Izanami was sent to the underworld, and Izanagi loved her so well he ventured down after her. But she was changed down there, her own darkness grown gross and rotten, and though she tried to hide her ugly parts Izanagi did see them. And then he didn’t love her any more; he fled, and trapped her there in darkness forever, to protect the whole world from her flaws, and never ever looked at his own.

You spend all of Persona 4 doing exactly the opposite: venturing down into another world to find people trapped there, and facing their ugliness, and embracing them and drawing them up into the light anyway. Namatame is Izanagi-who-dooms-them, though his intentions are good (Izanami died giving birth to Izanagi’s child in the first place). Adachi is Izanagi-corrupted, claimed and twisted by the darkness of the underworld and his own power, with no mercy in him. But the P4 protag gets to play the Izanagi of compassion, who tried to save his wife in the first place–and we get to fix it. We get to save people. We get to save everyone.

Until we get to Izanami herself, because Izanami can’t be saved. This all gets way more complicated in Golden when we add in Marie, but in the end, we’ve still got our protag standing in front of the goddess Izanami, sealing her away with Izanagi’s power for the sake of everyone else in the world, because she’s too dark and corrupted to bring back out into the light after all.

It’s really interesting coming at all of this from a Western perspective, because I…can’t actually tell if, playing through P4, we’re meant to like Izanagi? Are we meant to be on his side in the end? Are we meant to feel like we’re on this whole quest serving penance for his ancient mythological fuck-up? Are we meant to think that Yu Narukami, who’s embraced Izanagi in all his pride and self-righteousness as his own inner self, is the good guy?

Because yes, Izanami was trying to destroy the world. And yes, we saved it by trapping her, just like Izanagi did in ancient myth. But the Yu Narukami I see in the sequel games is so very much the guy who thinks he gets to decide who’s good enough to get saved and who isn’t. Labrys deserves to be saved, and because he’s decided to be her friend now, she will be, just like that, because of course he has that power.

By the time Arena happens, Yu has embraced and accepted Izanagi as his true self, flaws and all. (Let me not forget to point out the sister-complex kingpin title, for the man whose persona is a god that married his own sister. Let us literally never discuss Nanako as Izanami, because that gets really uncomfortable so fucking quick.)

And Izanagi is a dick. Which means that Yu isn’t, can’t be the quiet, gentle person I see when I try to extrapolate a most-probable Souji out of P4 canon alone. Yu is an asshole because that’s the person he’s chosen to be, the identity he’s claimed to replace the one he sacrificed, and I am on reflection kind of into that.

But also he’s still a dick, and therefore I kind of hate him for it.

#acelania #persona 4 #driveby meta attack #yu narukami #souji seta #gosh I should rewatch some of the anime or the later tie-in games #if I can stand to #I do love this series

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ohlookashinysquirrel · 5 years

Text

snip

Because I always post stuff way too late at night. Just a little snip of FBI/Shadow Ops Souyo.

It was raining, because of course it was, and Yosuke was Not A Happy Camper. He'd been out for the last two hours doing run-of-the-mill grunt work for the unit - things that had to be done, that couldn't be just outsourced to admin, but really Could Have Been Done By Anyone Not A Computer, and Yosuke had drawn the short straw - and he was more than ready to be back.

Usually Souji would go with him, but a quarter of their department was out sick, and Souji was back at HQ to keep an eye on things, dispatch teams as needed. He was the closest thing they had to a lead, when Dojima wasn't around - and Dojima was one of the ones out sick. He had enough time between reentering the building and walking into the unit suite to drip-dry enough that he was no longer trailing water (a ten-floor elevator ride will do it), but he was still damp and in a bad mood and it wasn't until the door closed behind him and Souji's head popped up over the computer he'd been working at that Yosuke's shoulders finally eased slightly, letting go of some of the cold and tension they'd been holding onto, so tightly coiled. Souji gave him a double-take, then jumped up, a fretful expression on his face. "It's raining? Since when?"

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Since all afternoon."

Souji frowned, looking back at the window, then shook his head, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention. Sit down, Yosuke. You deserve a rest.”

If Yosuke knew Souji (and he did) it wasn't just "not paying attention" - he'd probably had his nose buried in reports all afternoon, since half of then weren't getting written with the unit being so short-handed, something that Yosuke couldn’t begrudge him. As the brunette sank into the nearest chair - having already hung his overcoat in the entry to finish drip-drying - Souji hopped up, heading for the kitchen.

Please god, coffee, was all Yosuke could think.

He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the drone of the rain on the windows (Really, how hard did Souji have to be focused not to hear it? But he knew that was how his partner worked, so he wasn’t exactly surprised), and after a moment he heard the clunk of something being set on the desk in front of him, at the same time that a towel descended on his head. A pair of steady hands touseled Yosuke’s hair dry, and when the brunette reached out to take the mug on the desk he found that it was hot ginger and honey tea, not coffee - sure, coffee might be nice, but the other would warm him better on a day like today. He couldn't exactly look up with a towel on his head, but as soon as Souji moved it Yosuke tilted his head back, giving his partner what was probably his first smile that afternoon. Souji returned it, dropping a light kiss on Yosuke's lips; the brunette looked around quickly, but Souji shook his head.

"Yukiko and Kanji are out sick, as is Dojima, which puts Chie and Naoto out investigating that robbery in Shinagawa. Naoto just sent word that they're stopping for dinner, and I told her they could work on their reports at home and email them in, since there's nothing that can be done about it until samples come back from the lab. Rise's with Unit 3, handling that stalker case. She’ll probably be staying overnight out in Chiba."

Yosuke exhaled, nodding; that meant he and Souji would be alone in the office for the next few hours, until Sanoda and Kirijo, the night team, came in. He could handle that. When Souji took a seat next to him, Yosuke put his mug down, leaning against his partner's arm. Souji grabbed a blanket from the back of the chair to his other side - Naoto had a pile of blankets, always complaining that she was cold - and wrapped it around them both, pushing his chair closer so that they could lean in together.

"I know it's going to be after hours when we finally get to go home, but let's stop at that 24h ramen joint on the corner, by the apartment. I don't want to cook."

Yosuke nodded, yawning. "And something warm would be amazing in this weather." Of course, Souji's arm was also warm, as was the blanket...

Yeah. Maybe rainy days weren't so bad after all.

#p4 #Persona 4 #souyo #souji seta #yosuke hanamura #yu narukami #shadow ops #fbi partners #fluff

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 6 years

Note

Hello After the release of the PQ2 trailers, I would like to know why you like Minako / Hamuko so much?I do not understand why a lot of people like it and I do not say that in a way that bothered me, I just do not understand.

Before I can get to her, I need to give a backstory on my relationship with P3. And really just a summary of how I got into Persona in general. But yeah, in this literal essay I will (attempt to muddily, and kinda all over the place) explain how I fell in love with a character I was 100% neutral on, on a game I had a rocky relationship to begin with, and how she actually made me appreciate both that said game AND the MaleMC (who I also had a rocky relationship on) more and more as the years went by.

I should note I played the Persona games in this order: P4 (PS2, newly released), then P3FES, then Persona 1 PSP (didn’t finish tho), then P3P (and basically from the P1PSP on I roughly played them in order of release as we got them, so yeah....the thing to note is I played P4 first, then the original male P3 then years later I played the FeMC, so I did not experience her first).

Now I REALLY loved P4 when I played it, colorful cast, really loved their hijinx and chemistry, and the shadow Selves were just so much fun and dark. I thought the plot was fine, not god’s gift to this earth but it was fun. I found the characters and setting to be the biggest draw (I mean P4 is character focused not plot/story focused so that makes sense). I researched the series and found P3FES. People said it was a lot better than P4, I wanted to try and get P1/2 but.....yeah the only versions were PS1 and they were expensive, and I am but a freshman in high school with no job (too busy being an athlete and studying) and am lucky if I can beg my parents to let me get these games. And there was no way in hell I was getting P1/2EP which were both like $100 (I had to beg for P3/4 which were like $30 each).

Anyway I got my hands on P3 and......I....really didn’t like it. I liked the music, the setting, the style, and I was fine with the slightly harder combat cause of the AI (I accidentally played through all of Kanji’s dungeon with AI on not knowing I could change). But.....I didn’t like the characters. I got to Fuuka’s full moon before I had to put it down. I thought Junpei and Yukari were too mean, I hated I couldn’t SL with anyone on my team yet, Mitsuru/Akihiko were too distant, and the SLs i could SL were.....not really that great, and the MC was....really dull....like he was mostly neutral or silent (as opposed to Souji being funny, rude, neutral, silent, caring and a lot of interesting things with his dialogue options), sometimes he’d have a harsh but funny line but of course if I chose that I’d get a reverse link so that sucks. I decided to replay P4 again, trying to find what it was that really drew me to the series. By the end of that second playthrough I decided to pick up P3 again, give it a second chance (even tho Junpei and Yukari almost killed it for me).

I powered through, got into a rhythm, opened up more interesting links (such as the bookstore people and Maiko). It still wasn’t as good as P4 imo, the feel was different, but it was more I felt the cast was too distant and ridged to the plot. It wasn’t that they were there own people with their own arcs, but that I ironically didn’t find them as fleshed out as P4′s (which was more character focused so maybe that explains it). But then I got to Aigis, and the plot really picked up (years later I find that’s where some people felt like P3 started getting good). And I ended up liking it! I didn’t love it as much as P4 (and I had a lot of issues with the way they handled how the P3 kids got closer, aka I feel like they it could’ve been better), but I did like it and appreciated it despite my rocky start. I should also note I did like Shinji, like “Oh neat design” and then when he died I was like “Oh welp that sucks” but I never blamed Ken, and I wasn’t a rabbid fan shipping girl for him (I did jump on the FeMCxShinji train for a ship tho, just cause I saw other people like it and I prefered it the most out of the other options at the time, but actually FeMCxTheo was my first ship for her XD)

Then P3P was announced. Me who had a PSP for P1 and KHBBS was like “Oh ok cool.” Then I saw there was a femaleMC and I saw the opening (cause iirc they announced it with an opening) and I was like “OH no this is horrible, I can’t believe they’re making Yukari an MC!” but then I looked at it again and realized it was some new character and was like “oh phew thank god, huh I wonder how you’re gonna be handled” (which is funny, because Soejima accidentally mistook the Concept!Heroine of P3 for Yukari, like he didn’t realize those were two separate characters in like the really early days of P3, so they have very similar concept designs. I think they even share one design XD). So yeah my first impression was a false negative turned into a “Ok cool I’ll try it out.”

So months later it comes out, and I get it. And I start playing....and I don’t stop. Not like with FES. Like it had been awhile since I had played FES, and I knew if I “powered through it” to get to Aigis it get better but.....I...didn’t need to. Junpei and Yukari were a lot more tolerable, and I think that’s thanks to the SLs we got. And like WE GET TO START THEIR SLs EARLY! AND THE BOYS GET THEM TOO???? Like hot dang! Like Yukari, she’s available right at the beginning! You don’t have to wait! No like even if you are NG+ max charm, I had to wait till like Aigis joined before her SL would actually start (there’s a date restriction on top of it for the male, at least in FES I realized 2 years ago when I played it with some college friends). And Junpei, Ken, Ryoji, Koro, Shinji, and Aki (all characters that really needed a link to expand on them more) get more development! And Rio and Saori are great, Rio’s link is 1000% times better than Kazushi’s link (I hated how the only positive options is letting the guy just crumble, I felt like a horrible friend a lot of the times with the MaleMC, which is weird cause every non-main game iteration acts like he’s a great friend). Saori replacing Maya, well that and Akihiko replacing Minato’s Star guy was saddening, cause I liked them. But thankfully it was an even trade. The rest were a trade up from the MaleMC (Junpei was a lot better than Kenji, wasn’t a fan of P3!Chihiro, very creepy, and remember I saw her in P4 first and thought she was fine, I was sad about Yuko but I kinda like Koro more so...*shrugs* more or less a fair trade, Shinji was obvie a trade up, and I think Ryoji was a trade up from Mr. Fortune guy whom Yukiko would pretty much rip off his SL beat by beat but somehow do it a liiiiitle better). I also liked how Fuuka’s SL was changed....only cause I tend to remember a liiiiiiitle bit more of her FeMC link than I do the Male one (sadly I just....can never remember her whole link....). So I would say she had the “better links” because it helped expand more on the MC’s relationship with the guys and Ryoji (which I found was really lacking on the male side, esp when Junpei tries to claim us as even...normal friends). Not that the Male’s were (all) horrible, but the FeMC does replace a lot of the worst ones (namely, imo, Moon, Magician, and Chariot) with a lot better ones, and the good ones she also replaces are met with a pretty even/fair trade. Also again, Male SEES+Ryoji SLs. I mean Shinji/Ryoji’s links you need to “bust your balls” for those two, but...not really. XD I’m pretty sure (at least with Shinji, need to double check with Ryoji) as long as you say the right stuff, you get a rank up. The real ball buster was the Male’s side because you 100% need a guide to get every SL on his side, FeMC has a bit more freedom (not THAT much but a bit more).

She also had a larger range of personality options (aka it’s not her only personality, she could be a lot of different things) than the MaleMC (so she was similar to Souji in this regard). I could make her be a bitch, maker her peppy, nice, angry, conservative, a lot of things. I felt like there was a lot more to do with her (have her be emo? Sure! Have her be nice? Sure! and so on and so on). I felt like she was more than just being “there,” more than being along for the ride. I loved her anger issues and violent tendencies, the fact she was dark enough to be willing to kill someone, the fact she’s probably a stepford smiler and is actually really hurting underneath it all. I liked how she had personality you could trace and piece together and mess around with to make a different combo of FeMC, as opposed to MaleMC who is just....kinda there....his options are...there most of the time (sometimes some personality leaks out but not a whole lot)...and you have to come up with a personality all on your own instead of piecing together traces of one (they at least adapted this well into the movies by making him numb and depressed and then recovering as a means to explain this odd detachment in the game, but you probably don’t see it when you are first playing without that context). She could be more vocal at times (not all the time but times where the MC wouldn’t talk she would sometimes have an option to say something), she could also make a change as well (Shinji’s link). So yeah I liked how her side had some impact and could change some things. (I mean, in retrospect, I wouldn’t have minded if she had changed more, but I also gotta remember this is a PSP era game). But most importantly, I felt closer to the team. The SLs helped sooooooo much, I felt like the core of SEES, I connected everyone, we were all a unit. The extra events, even if they were the same as the male’s, felt deeper cause I felt like I was hanging out with an actual coworker turned friend rather than a ‘coworker who says I’m their friend but I don’t feel like we got there yet” type of feeling. When anyone was like “dang we friends” I was like “hell yeah we are.”

I also like how, while she’s a bit more upbeat and friendly, it fits with the game. The game does start off light guys, it doesn’t really get dark-dark till Oct. If anything, her being friendly (if you player her that way) and getting along with people, and the just how it feels like genuine friends really feels more impactful when the dark stuff starts to come around....since she gets more shook and has to face the harshness and overcome it. It feels like it impacts her. MaleMC it....it can feel like it doesn’t as much (again the game, not the side content, the side content it does impact him). I feel like the MaleMC had a similar detachment as I did when I first played on FES. “Oh that sucks Shinji died, pretty sad, wonder what’s gonna happen next.” So like...THAT is just...there.....

So yeah, basically....I had issues with P3, and I felt like she fixed a lot, not all but a lot. Sure she has her own slew of problems (my issues are more that she might not change enough, like she changed enough to justify her, but I feel like they could do more. Also, connecting to that point, them repeating a lot of the same dialogue....I felt like some could/needed to be changed....Like Junpei’s jealousy works really well with the MaleMC but him suddenly being friends at the end doesn’t, while the FeMC they are friends....but he still has the same jealous out spurts and like......he can have that, but I feel like they should’ve changed it a bit and added more complexity to them since they are already friends).

Do I think FeMC is the better MC of the two? (Main) Game wise....yes. Her bonds are what I feel like is what Atlus wanted to do with the MC but messed up (evident with how they handle him with the manga, movie, dramacd, and PQ/P3D). Manga/Movie/DramaCD (and PQ/P3D) vs her? They are the same tbh, the FeMC is just the stronger game equivalent (bond execution wise, which was the male’s side’ issue and one that’s fixed in side stuff) to the other iterations of Minato than his actual equivalent imo.

Anyway, as the years went on I got more attached, esp when I compared and contrast the two MCs (btw as the years went on I grew to like P3 even more as well as Minato, so all of the above is just my first impressions), wished there could be a version of P3 where they are together, later wishing for a spinoff where there together, or a spinoff where she meets P4 kids cause I feel like it’d be interesting how she’d interact with them (cause it’d be different to Minato’s). Her clashing ideals with Male cast and P4 cast, her working together, working off each other. Her dynamic was just interesting, I saw potential and what she could bring to the table and it sucked she basically wasn’t allowed (mostly cause, as it was recently revealed, they didn’t know how to do it). I saw potential, and still do see potential, in the other MCs in all of the games, it’s just as each new entry came about....the need to see the FeMC’s utilized grew more and more (cause again, they were already utilizing P3/4MC’s potentials, and P1/2 were locked behind some possible legal tape, and PTS was retconned out with the only hope of it ever coming back being for it to be retconned again to fit into the story, so she was literally the only one of this group that could be used and had yet to be used). I also really wanna see a duo of FeMC/Minato and Tatsuya/Maya, I just....I really wanna....cause P2 had a lot of duality themes, and then P3 kicked it up to 20 notches, and I’d love to see P2/3 meld together! ;w;

(oh I should note I do like P1 and P2 a lot, I really love P1′s manga tbh, just in case anyone was wondering where I stood on them. So yeah it’s not like I only love P3P and P4. I actually like P2 a lot. It’s tied with P4 as my fav, tho FemC might be my fav MC, tho possibly tied with Maya and Souji. I do think they should come back, but I’m also aware they have....a stickier situation than the FeMC or even PTS.....and we all know where I stand with P5 so ahuhuhu 8U)

So uhhhhh yeah, that’s my story....on how I kinda slowly fell in love with this character, one of which I had a neutral stance (I didn’t automatically think “Female MC? Ok I LOVE her!” or think she was gonna change the game for me, it all just kinda happened). And how she made me appreciate P3 (and the MaleMC) more. And then by the time I realized it I realized I was in drought hell with pretty much nothing. :’D

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sabinasanfanfic · 6 years

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Call of the Fighters - Part I

This is part of @fic-writer-appreciation‘s March AU challenge, and is a prompt for Day 9 (Historical) and Day 17 (Military). I’m also using this as a little nod to my Irish heritage in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday April 24, 1916

Hijikata put the final touches on his poem, leaving his notebook open for her to read it once she awoke. He set his fountain pen aside and rose from the desk, straightening his long-sleeved, button-down shirt as he did so. He glanced over to the corner by the window where his messenger bag waited for him.

He had resolved to do this—to participate in this failure of an insurrection. The rebels had been unsuccessful in obtaining the needed weaponry, and it was certain the British were aware that a plot was underway, though it was possible they didn’t know the timing. Despite the odds being stacked against them, the leaders decided to continue. They wanted to send a message that it was high time Ireland had her freedom.

He grabbed his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder, glancing back at the closed bedroom door. He could very well die, and he had made sure to spend what could have been his final evening with Chizuru—letting her know that he loved her. He had waited until she had fallen asleep to take his leave because he knew she wanted to go with him, and he couldn’t allow that. He wanted her to be safe, and he couldn’t guarantee that he would leave this battle alive. If he couldn’t ensure his own safety, he was sure he couldn’t do the same for her.

Hijikata regretfully left the tiny house and walked to the corner of the cobblestone street where his closest friend stood by a street sign, waiting for him. At the sound of his footsteps echoing off the buildings lining the narrow street, the man turned and shot Hijikata a warm smile upon recognizing who was approaching.

“All set?” Kondō asked.

Hijikata gave a swift nod before they both crossed the street side-by-side. Hijikata was acutely aware of his surroundings, listening for any indications that someone else was out in the dead of night with them. Thankfully, neither he nor Kondō had weapons on them. It might have drawn unwanted attention.

“We’ve been ordered to go to Liberty Hall to receive our assignments. Rumor has it we’ll be under the command of Seán Connolly.”

“Do we have numbers?”

Kondō shook his head. “MacNeill’s order seems to have caused some confusion. Heisuke asked if everything was canceled all together.”

Hijikata scoffed. “MacNeill’s an idiot. He was just waiting for an excuse to delay, and once he found out the weapons didn’t make it from Germany...”

“He has a point. It does make our position difficult.”

“That’s why we just have to destroy their arms and take over Dublin Castle.”

Kondō sighed. “We’ll have to see if that’s even possible. Who knows how many will turn out.”

“I’m glad we can rely on our men.”

The conversation ceased as the two continued their trek to Liberty Hall. The enormity of the their undertaking hit Hijikata. The Irish had spent decades utilizing political means to peacefully gain independence with the introduction of the Home Rule Bill. Twice it had been defeated, but it seemed the third attempt would be successful. It had passed in 1914, and it appeared to Hijikata that it would be the beginning steps to independence, even if the Northern Irish weren’t on board.

But Home Rule never came. Shortly before its implementation, Britain declared war on Germany, and Parliament decreed that Home Rule would not come into effect until the end of the war. Hijikata had watched in dismay while the majority of the Irish supported the British war effort and even called for men to join the British army. All he could see was yet another delay tactic—another effort of Parliament to deny the Irish what they had been wanting for centuries.

It was disgust that led to Hijikata jumping at the opportunity to participate in armed rebellion. He knew that many of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Volunteers didn’t agree with the timing, as they were waiting for a good reason to call for insurrection. Hijikata couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t want to take advantage of a time when Britain was distracted and had pulled the majority of their forces out of Ireland.

Cowards…the whole lot of them, he inwardly growled. Short-sighted, risk-averting…

Hijikata’s thoughts abruptly wandered to the woman he left behind, and he felt a twinge of guilt at that. He had come to terms with the very real possibility that he could die, and he had done what he could to be sure Chizuru would be provided for. He knew that she understood his desire to take part in the rising, but he was also aware that Chizuru yearned for him to remain at her side. She loved him, and she didn’t want anything terrible to befall him.

Little flashes of their last moments together came to his mind, and Hijikata found comfort in the memory of the feel of her naked body pressed to his as she cried out her release. If anything, he was grateful he had that opportunity to show her how much he loved her before he left. He wanted to live so that he could return to her, but Ireland had to come first.

Kondō and Hijikata reached Liberty Hall, and a young boy no more than ten was seated on the front stoop dressed in uniform with a rifle clutched in his arms. Based on the boy’s hold on the weapon, Hijikata wondered how much training the lad had in its use. The boy was listless—probably from staying up late into the night—making Hijikata smile fondly at the sight of the slumped over figure. Kondō crouched low in front of the boy.

“How long have you been out here?”

The boy sat up, his spine completely straight and his eyes more alert. “I don’t know, sir. But I was awake, sir! I swear!”

Kondō chuckled. “I know. I’ll see if we can find a replacement for you so you can get some rest.”

The boy’s frame slumped once more with relief. “Thank you, sir!”

Kondō ruffled the boy’s hair with some affection before he rose to his full height, and the pair made their way into the building. Up the narrow stairs and to the left was a wide, open room. In the center was a table where six men sat. Others were gathered in groups around the room either talking or resting against the walls. Off in the corner was a crude mattress where a man lay sleeping. Hijikata knew that the man was Joseph Plunkett, who probably needed the rest before things got underway. He had to give the man credit for wanting to fight despite the worsening of his tuberculosis. Hijikata briefly wondered if Plunkett—as someone who would understand the young man’s similar feelings about the illness and desire to fight—had spoken to Souji at all.

“Ah, welcome, gentlemen!” a man with dark hair slicked back, large nose, and serious eyes greeted as he stood. Hijikata immediately recognized Padraic Pearse, the leader of it all. “I’m glad you came.” A pause. “Where are the rest of your men?”

“We decided to come in waves in order to avoid suspicion,” Hijikata reported.

“Smart,” Seán Connolly replied with an approving smile. “I’m fortunate to have men like you under my command.”

“How is he?” Kondō inquired, jerking his head towards the sleeping Plunkett.

Pearse glanced Plunkett’s way before shaking his head. “Some days are better than others. Who knows what he’ll be like in a few hours.”

Hijikata acknowledged the statement with a nod. Souji was in a much better spot in terms of his tuberculosis when compared to Plunkett—the man’s illness being far more advanced than Souji’s—and Hijikata was sympathetic to the man’s suffering. He hoped that Plunkett would feel well enough to fight. At this point, they needed every man they could get.

He stepped away from the table to allow Kondō to talk among the leaders. Hijikata wandered to another corner where some rifles were stored. He decided to go through them and be sure they were in working order. As he dug through the long wooden boxes, he realized just how short they were on arms, and a sort of resignation settled within him. While a very small part of him hoped for victory, he knew the odds were stacked against them.

Soon, he was joined by Saitō, who took a keen interest in caring for weaponry. Hijikata greeted him with some enthusiasm, though exhaustion was beginning to creep in.

“The others?”

“Shinpachi, Heisuke, and Harada are on their way up. I think they were debating who would relieve the child at the front door. Sannan, Gen, and Souji are over with Kondō discussing the plans.”

Hijikata’s attention returned to the rifle he had just pulled out of the box, finishing his inspection. “Did you see anyone else coming?”

Saitō shook his head. “But it’s early.”

No more was said between the pair as they continued their task. When all the weapons had been checked, Hijikata and Saitō returned them to the boxes. By this time, Kondō approached them with a wane smile on his face.

“We will be under Seán Connolly. We are tasked with going to City Hall to overtake the Castle. We will be joined by some of the Cumann na mBan,” Kondō reported.

“Do we know when?”

“Close to midday. Pearse wants to wait a few more hours before making any major moves. He wants to give people more time to get here. We’ll follow Pearse and some of the others to the GPO for the proclamation and then we will march to City Hall.”

Hijikata sighed, running a hand over his face in an attempt to chase away his fatigue. When he peered up at Kondō once more, he saw the fond smile on the man’s lips. He gave a quick smile in return before looking away.

“You should get some rest.”

Hijikata originally planned on telling Kondō no, but he could barely see straight, and his concentration was waning. He sighed and glanced over at Saitō. The young man was looking to him for guidance, but he also suspected Saitō was expecting Hijikata to give in to Kondō. Hijikata sighed and returned his gaze to Kondō.

“Yeah. I’ll get some sleep.”

Hijikata shifted so that he was leaning against the wall. Kondō walked away, and Hijikata presumed it was to tell the others to rest as well. He stared out into the hall, suddenly feeling a burst of energy that would make it difficult for him to fall asleep. He forced himself to close his eyes, and his thoughts drifted to Chizuru, who was probably still curled up in their bed. The mental image of her in peaceful slumber made his breathing slow.

How he wanted her near! She was a steadfast presence in his life—she never failed to calm him when he was overwhelmed—and he wanted that now to ease the knots that had twisted his stomach. But, he was also aware that it was selfish for him to want that when what he was embarking on was dangerous. And the last thing he wanted to do was put Chizuru in harm’s way.

His thoughts continued to swirl around her, and he realized after some time that his body had relaxed and his stomach settled. He drifted into a light sleep. He was vaguely aware of what was going on around him, but it wasn’t enough to disturb him too much. As the hours ticked away, he was dimly aware of an increase in the buzz of conversation and the footsteps of more people on the wooden floor.

He finally opened his eyes, squinting as bright sunlight assaulted him. He blinked a few times until he was used to the light, and he peered around the room. There were definitely more people like he had suspected, which was a small relief. He continued to take stock of the scene to get a better idea of how many people were there. Some were preparing their rifles while others were receiving instructions from leaders.

Hijikata stretched, his muscles feeling tight and heavy from his slumber. He looked to his left and saw Saitō was already alert. Hijikata wasn’t the least bit surprised by that. He stood and straightened out his clothes, wondering what time it was and where they all were in the planning stages. As he gazed around the room, he realized that their numbers were still small.

He then went searching for Kondō, eventually finding him toward the back of the room with Seán Connolly. Souji stood off to the side, his arms crossed against his chest and his eyes narrowed. Kondō turned and acknowledged Hijikata.

“Toshi. We’ll soon be marching to the GPO for the declaration. We’re handing out what weapons we have. Make sure you get one, and gather our men.”

Hijikata felt the knots return to his stomach. This was the moment—there was no turning back. He went back to the spot where he had been sleeping to pass on the orders to Satiō and to distribute weapons. He took deep breaths through his nose to calm his stomach. Now wasn’t the time to show fear. Now it was time to do what he had set out to do.

Everyone prepared quickly, and shortly before midday, the group of about 400 marched across the street to the GPO. Along the way, several members of the group broke off to paste copies of the Proclamation of the Republic for the citizenry to read.

Hijikata was looking forward to hearing Pearse read the Proclamation with their flags flying above them. He imagined the great impact it would have on everyone around them, and he felt his heart swell in his chest at how inspiring it would all be. When they drew close to the GPO, Hijikata caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see Seán Connolly breaking off from the group. The man motioned for the rest to follow. Hijikata was confused but followed the unspoken order.

“We’re going to start heading toward City Hall. We need to catch them unawares as much as possible!”

Hijikata waved for the rest to follow him, and soon the relatively small group was crossing the bridge over the River Liffey. As they passed by people in the streets, Hijikata could see a mixture of surprise and fear on the countless faces. He heard some shout at them, wondering where they were going with their guns.

Soon, City Hall loomed before them, and Hijikata could see that it was quiet. He immediately grew suspicious—where were the British troops that were left to guard Dublin? They should’ve known the rising was coming!

“You men, over to City Hall!” Seán called out as he pointed to Kondō, Hijikata, and the others. “Set up for a siege of the castle!”

As they split off from the group, Hijikata looked back to see Seán with about half of the group charge at the gate. Hijikata heard the distinctive pop of gunfire as he returned his attention to where he was going. They continued to hear gunshots as they gained entry to City Hall. Hijikata stood by the door to be sure each of his men made it safely in. He then remembered that there were supposed to be members of Cumann na Ban joining them, and he wondered where they were.

At that moment, Hijikata heard the sound of masonry cracking and caught the movement of flying debris and dust out of the corner of his eye. He immediately looked around to see where the shot came from while crouching. He began to prepare to fire off his own gun if need be. It was quiet for a few seconds before he heard more gunshots coming from above him. Hijikata glanced upward, wondering who was firing, and if the British had taken over City Hall before they had.

The change in his attention was a mistake.

More gunshots rang out, and Hijikata heard a bullet whizz by his ear. Hijikata dodged to his right and took a bullet to his left bicep. He let out a cry as he instinctively dropped his rifle so his right hand could cover the wound. He could feel the warmth of his blood slide down his fingers to his wrist to soak into the cuff of his sleeve. Hijikata swore under his breath as he looked up and caught sight of a few British soldiers heading his way with their guns poised to fire.

He heard more gunshots come from behind him, and the shout of a female voice. “Get in here!”

He couldn’t quite make out the voice over the ringing in his ears, but he knew if he wanted to stay alive, he needed to move indoors out of the line of fire. As he scrambled to get up, he felt a pair of tiny hands grab him by the right arm and drag him backwards.

Hijikata let out an indignant shout as he was pulled through the doorway, and his body was slammed up against the wall. The surroundings were dimly lit, and it took some time for his eyes to adjust to his new surroundings. He let out another moan as he slowly slid to the floor. More gunshots sounded from beside him, and he looked that way to see who had come to his rescue.

Hijikata’s heart stuttered at the sight of a familiar woman dressed in a man’s uniform standing in the open doorway, firing at the incoming British soldiers.

“Chizuru!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging: @shell-senji, @kondo-hijikata, @eheartangel, @hakuyamazakisensei, @hidetheremote, @resshiiram, @hakuouki-or-hakuoki, @lescahiersdesable, @flower-dragon, @jellyfish-wish, @trashmonster06, @enby-peep, @emmalanna. If you wish to be added or removed from my tag list, please message me!

#veraspromptchallenge2018 #hakuouki #hakuoki #historical au #military au #hijikata toshizo #kondou isami #okita souji #yukimura chizuru #hijichi

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shuttershocky · 6 years

Text

Fate/Grand Order NA edition: A Recap

A quick recap of some of the events that happened so far in the misadventures of Mash and Guda:

FUYUKI

A teenager (we shall call them Guda) answers an ad in the papers, ends up in a military base called Chaldea hidden in the Himalayas.

A bomb toasts everybody inside the base.

Mash and Guda time travel back to the edgiest version of Fate/Stay Night where Saber Alter rules with an iron fist.

Mash, a cute Chaldea clerk, fuses with the ghost of some guy, gets a massive shield to bludgeon people with.

Cu Chulainn beats people up with the Wicker Man; Thankfully leaves out the bees.

Their boss turns out to be a bad guy and throws their other, dead boss’ ghost into a black hole, making her super dead-er.

The only staff surviving at Chaldea is the ghost of Leonardo Da Vinci and the absentminded doctor she’s fucking.

ORLEANS

Gilles de Raiss, unhappy with the canon ending, makes an edgy Jeanne D’Arc OC to fix it.

The real Jeanne is summoned without her Ruler powers, joins Mash and Guda on their merry stroll through France.

Some countries have roaches, others have rats. France has dragons.

It also has vampires.

Marie Antoinette pulls a drive-by shootout with the vampires to rescue Jeanne D’Arc and company.

They escape because Mozart makes the vampires vomit and/or poop themselves with a piano attached to the back of Marie’s carriage.

They bond. Marie learns what a homie is. Marie and Jeanne are super gay.

Kiyohime and Liz are first introduced. FGO is never the same.

They rescue the German hero Sumanai Siegfried from a castle. He’s pretty beat up.

They need saints to heal him for some reason. Good thing St. George spawns... on the other side of the map.

Do you really wanna hurt us this way George? Really? Take anyone else instead. Take this Mephistopheles, he’s just hanging around in my archive!

Big Bad Battle with Cheese and Dragons. Assassins recommended.

Jeanne vs Jeanne. The edgy OC is no match for the original of course.

Gilles is kicked back into the depths of FF.net where he belongs

SEPTEM

U M U

All of Nero’s forebears in the Roman empire form an alliance against her called Every Villain Is Lemons, also known as EVIL

Nero brings the company to Britain from Italy. On foot.

Mash suffocates under the overwhelming force that is Boudica’s boobs.

Nero chops down the ghosts of Roman emperors past one by one. No biggie.

Mash and Guda find their bad boss in the capital and oh shit he’s a demon from hell.

RIP AND TEAR

The demon summons Atilla the Hun. He is later of two minds about this choice.

Nero punches Atilla in the face. Civilization will never die!

THE MOON FESTIVAL

Someone steals all the dumplings. Now Chaldea’s gonna starve.

Some booby archer pesters Mash and Guda about helping them recover the food.

Marie doesn’t remember her own homies.

Never mind she totally does.

Saint George is into photography.

Martha is into dumplings, bondage, and breaking faces. Tsk tsk, Saint Martha.

Martha makes her escape by jumping on to her dragon Tarrasque, who begins to fly by spinning around rapidly until it zooms away like a UFO. She probably puked at some point.

Altera, Atilla The Hun, the great destroyer herself, explains the differences of good and bad civilization.

Surprise surprise, Booby Archer is a bad guy- holy shit this is the goddess of the hunt?

Please don’t spook my guaranteed SSR gacha Artemis, I beg you. I’ll do anything you want just don’t come home.

OKEANOS

Sir Francis Drake, Pirate Queen.

Blackbeard. Weeb.

And lo, Captain Drake did shot the god Poseidon in the face, declaring with a mighty shout “Let there be booze!”, and the crew were drunk with infinite booze, and it was good.

Blackbeard wins the award for cringiest villain.

Drake and her motley crew recruit Medusa’s bitchy sister Euryale and her hot monster boyfriend, Asterios The Minotaur.

OH NO ORION AND ARTEMIS ARE BACK SOMEONE CALL THE COPS

The Golden Hind VS The Queen Anne’s Revenge, battle of two legendary pirate ships, FIGHT

Artemis and Orion board the Queen Anne’s Revenge during the fight in an admittedly cool action scene. Orion blows a hole into the ship.

Blackbeard is a tough bastard, but Drake literally killed the god of the seas for some booze so

Hektor, hero of Troy, won’t shut up about being an old man. Also he betrays Blackbeard.

Blackbeard to Drake: “Secretly, I admired you...r boobs.” *dies*

Drake trades upwards, gets the Argonauts as her new nemesis

Jason is just as much of a shitter in Fate as he is in mythology. Who would have guessed?!

Wait wasn’t one of the most famous members of the Argonauts the great hero Hera-OH GOD HE’S HERE WE HAVE TO RUN

Asterios vs Heracles summed up:

youtube

Guda: Well now that we lost our muscle we need reinforcements. Atalanta and David: Hi

Atalanta meets her God. She now believes in atheism.

David: Yeah I actually have the most dangerous thing on Earth with me as a second noble phantasm. Everyone else: It’s a box. David: I know. It’s got nerves of steel.

Who would win? A nigh-immortal demigod, son of Zeus and the strongest hero there is, or some box?

“Hey Jason, eat a dick.” - Medea Lily

Eating a dick turns you into a vessel for yet another Demon God. As Jason painfully finds out.

RIP AND TEAR 2.0

David: Yeah all of this time-stream dicking is my idiot son’s fault. It would be just like him, for he was an idiot. Roman: Nuh-uh! David: Yeah-uh!

Goodbye, Captain Drake. T’was an honor to be one of yer hearty crew.

HALLOWEEN 2015(17?)

An invitation? To a party? But all of history was dicked. Where are you supposed to hold a par-is that a castle?

Mash: hOLY SHIT I GET TO PUNCH GHOSTS Guda: Mash calm dow- Mash: WHEN THERE’S SOMETHING STRANGE

Kiyohime casually defies the laws of space and time (again).

Mata Hari: *Starts stripdancing* Mash: :O Kiyo: >:( Roman: :D

Carmilla uses her noble phantasm to clean a spot. I-I’m not even exaggerating this is actually a thing that happens.

Vlad is the supportive uncle who knits for his fellows.

Tamamo Cat; nothing she says ever makes any sense.

Elizabeth Bathory: Surprise! All of this was to prepare you for a special private concert from an up and coming pop idol star!

Everyone: Liz you are a bad Me, tears falling onto my phone: Liz you are a good

Liz: Y-you d-didn’t like m-m-my concert? Everyone: Boo you suck! Me: I LOVED IT BABY YOU’RE GONNA BE A BIG STAR ONE DAY

GODDAMNIT VLAD STOP BEING STUBBORN AND DROP THE GODDAMN CE.

GUDAGUDA HONNOUJI

Split psyche story

What you expected: Angry Nobu, sad Nobu, kinda freaky happy Nobu

What you got:

youtube

Rabbit season? Duck season? No. It’s Nobbu season.

A whole string of really funny jokes if you’re a fan of Oda Nobunaga’s place in Japan’s history.

Even more funny jokes that don’t require knowledge of the Sengoku Period

Arash chases after the crew while on fire and screaming “STELLAAA!!”, blows up over Ushiwakamaru’s army

Mash and friends somehow run all the way into the desert.

I give up. There is no way to exaggerate anything that happens in this event.

It is just bonkers.

Oda Nobunaga and Okita Souji for best couple

THE SCATHACH TRIAL

DW: Boy we sure hope you’re not tired of the Fuyuki map!

Stupid, sexy Scathach: Greetings. Guda: Gaddamn. Mash: Senpai, for once can you not be a perv- Stupid, sexy Scathach: *flips her hair* Mash: Holy fuck I’m so gay right now.

Scathach casually kills ten thousand ghosts.

Scathach casually teaches her new students while crushing a skull with one hand and flexing with the other.

Scathach also gives the nicest headpats.

Brock from Pokemon Fergus joins the party.

Mash: And then, Cu Chulainn saved us in his sexy druid outfit. Scathach and Fergus: Druid outfit? AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Fergus: God I’m just super horny right now. Scathach: I’m pretty DTF myself but only the finest warriors can get some of this. Fergus: Well do I qualif- Scathach: No.

Altera: Hi Fergus: *Dies from nosebleed*

For the final part of the trial, Scathach summons another warrior to replace Fergus.

Diarmuid knows its fanservice day. He doesn’t even bother to put on a shirt.

Artemis: I’m baaaacckk~ Me: AHHH KILL IT! KILL IT!

Scathach to Artemis: From one booby servant to another, your kind of fanservice is super gross and wrong my dude. Domestic violence against men is a very real concern. Now I’m gonna spank you.

Scathach kicks divine ass. Thank you, Shishou!

Scathach: Now before I leave kids, what did we learn? Mash and Guda: That the road ahead of us is long and dark, but if we hold firm and believe in each other, we can be humanity’s saviors from the dark? Scathach: No. What did we really learn? Me: That now I can’t not have you in my Chaldea and must ask for an advanced paycheck this instant? Scathach: Good child.

#Fate #Fate Grand Order #FGO

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artikgato · 6 years

Text

Souyowrimo Day 15

Prompt list here, rest of my November fics here.

This one got out of hand. Like, way out of hand. Also even though I’m now pretty far behind, I’m hoping to get some writing done during the Thanksgiving holiday, so maybe I’ll be able to catch up by the end of the month? We’ll see.

Day 15 - Shadows

When he saw the TV in the back of that truck, Yosuke was, in a word, horrified. What kind of a sick fucking person was Namatame, to kidnap a child, put her in so much danger in the real world and then mercilessly throw her into the TV world? He heard the others telling Souji that it was too dangerous to go into the TV from here, since they didn’t know where it would lead. He heard that, and he decided he didn’t care. Namatame needed to fucking pay, and someone needed to save Nanako.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he was hopping into the back of the truck and flinging himself at the TV, not even stopping at his friends’ horrified shouts for him to stop. He soon found himself surrounded by the usual TV world fog, but fortunately he had a habit of carrying his glasses with him at all times. They all did, really. If they could have gotten away with it they would have carried weapons with them too, but those are quite a bit harder to hide and not to mention, pretty illegal. But Yosuke wasn’t concerned - he had Susanoo, after all. He’d be fine, as long as he didn’t go picking fights with any really tough Shadows.

Although, speaking of picking fights --

After just a minute or so of walking, Yosuke found himself at what looked like a large, brightly lit gate of some kind. He didn’t take the time to examine it too closely, because just inside the gate he spotted two figures, one taller and the other shorter and looking to be struggling against being dragged away by the taller figure. He broke out into a sprint, the fog seeming to peel away from his vision thanks to the glasses, and he could clearly see that it was that bastard Namatame trying to drag Nanako further into the structure.

“Stop it! I don’t want to go with you! Take me back home!” Nanako was insisting, struggling with all her might against Namatame. The older man didn’t get the chance to respond, because Yosuke somehow managed to run straight up to him without the sound of his footsteps alerting him, and he basically slammed straight into him, forcing him to let go of Nanako and stumble a few steps back. Yosuke immediately put himself between him and Nanako, hands up in a fighting stance. He didn’t have his knives, and Namatame was taller and bigger than he was, but like hell was he going to let him lay another finger on her.

“Y-Yosuke?” Nanako asked, timidly.

“Yeah, don’t worry Nanako-chan, I’m gonna get you out of here,” he replied. Namatame finally caught his footing, glaring over at him

“Get out of my way, brat! I need to save her!” he exclaimed.

“What the hell are you talking about, ‘saving’? You won’t be saving anyone by dragging them into the TV world, you idiot!” Yosuke barked in response.

“I saved the others, it’s the only way! Now go away!” Namatame replied. He had a desperate, crazed look in his eyes, and Yosuke was very, very glad that he could call on Susanoo if he needed to. He was so unnerved that he almost wanted to.

“Get ready to run, Nanako-chan,” Yosuke whispered, not taking his eyes off of Namatame in case he decided to make a run at them. Nanako made a sobbing noise in response.

“I can’t, my legs feel weird,” she replied, and Yosuke cursed under his breath. He’d have to carry her, then, which meant he’d need to do something to distract Namatame. Just as he was about to call out Susanoo, Namatame continued.

“I’ll save you too. I can save you all! But I have to save her first, the TV told me to,” the former politician explained.

“And I’m telling you, this place is full of dangerous monsters! You wouldn’t be saving her at all, you’d be killing her!” Yosuke yelled. Nanako gave a little cough, and he felt her clutch at one of his arms. Shit. If people stayed in the fog for too long they got sick, and poor Nanako was so small and already prone to getting sick, wasn’t she? He needed to get her out sooner rather than later. As much as he wanted to punch Namatame in the face for all of this, he knew his priorities.

“Give me the girl!” Namatame snarled. “Let me do what the TV told me to do!”

“I’m done talking to you,” Yosuke replied. “Come, Susanoo!” He didn’t summon the Persona with his usual theatrics, mainly because he didn’t have his kunai to slash at his tarot card with, but also because the instant Susanoo appeared, he crouched down and told Nanako to jump on his back. She did so, albeit weakly, but as soon as he felt her arms around his neck he stood back up and took off in a sprint, grabbing her legs to keep her secure as he ran. He didn’t even look back to see what Susanoo was doing, just ran away from the weird gate structure as quickly as possible, disappearing into the fog.

Yosuke just ran as fast as he could until his legs and lungs started to protest. Surprisingly, Nanako on his back wasn’t weighing him down nearly as much as he would have expected - she weighed like, nothing, which he would have thought was impossible considering she got to eat Souji’s cooking all the time.

“Yosuke, where are we going?” Nanako finally asked, once Yosuke stopped to catch his breath. Susanoo helpfully informed him that Namatame was not pursuing them, but the Persona had no idea where they were. Yosuke looked around, but all he could see were the weird scaffolding-like structures in the fog.

“The exit, hopefully,” he replied.

As soon as he stood back up, Nanako started to cough, one delicate little cough turning into a series of horrible, wracking coughs.

“Are you alright, Nanako-chan?” Yosuke asked, when she finally stopped.

“N-no,” she wheezed. “It’s hard to breathe…”

Thinking fast, Yosuke reached up and pulled the glasses off of his face. His entire field of vision immediately went foggy, but that was fine.

“Here, put these on. They’ll help you breathe, trust me,” he said.

“Okay,” she croaked, unwrapping one hand from around his neck to take the glasses from him, then replacing the arm a second later. He could hear her breathing level out as the effect of the glasses was almost instantaneous, thank god. “They really do help,” she marveled, after a minute. “And...I can see better! Where did you get these?”

“They were a gift from Teddie, so don’t lose them, alright?” Yosuke instructed. “And I can’t see through the fog now, so you’ll have to look for me, okay? Tell me right away if you see any buildings or people, or anything that looks like a weird black blob.”

“Okay!” Nanako replied. Yosuke shifted her on his back so that she was a bit better supported, and started forward. They were walking for what felt like forever before Nanako spoke up again.

“I think I hear something,” she said. Yosuke made an effort to listen, but couldn’t hear anything. Did the glasses help with hearing?

“What is it?” he asked. Nanako was quiet for a few seconds, listening.

“It sounds like the Junes music!” she announced.

“Junes?” Yosuke parroted, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. What would a TV world version of Junes be like? He almost didn’t want to find out, but...well, it could have been a part of the twisted shopping district that he and Souji had walked through the day they fought Yosuke’s Shadow. If that was the case, he might be able to find his way out of the TV world after all.

“Yeah, it is!” Nanako cried, happily. “It’s coming from that way!” She pointed off to the right, so Yosuke changed directions, picking up his pace and following the music that only Nanako could hear. If he wasn’t so used to the general weirdness of the world, Yosuke would be a lot more worried. A lot.

Eventually, a very big, very familiar building loomed out of the fog, a building that even Yosuke could see. The familiar jingle was playing out of seemingly nowhere, making everything about five hundred times more unnerving.

“This isn’t Junes, is it?” Nanako asked, a tinge of fear in her voice.

“Not really. We probably shouldn’t go in-” Yosuke answered, but stopped abruptly when he saw a figure approach the doors from the inside. A very familiar figure.

“Surprised to see me again? I know I am,” Yosuke’s Shadow remarked, golden eyes sparking with amusement. Yosuke took a step back, panicked.

“Who is that, Yosuke?” Nanako asked, and she was obviously terrified.

“I’m this guy’s True Self,” the Shadow responded, gesturing at Yosuke.

“No way, you can’t be,” Yosuke denied. “I can still feel my connection to Susanoo. Who are you, really?”

Instead of answering, the Shadow seemed to flicker, turning into Susanoo and then back.

“There’s your answer,” the Shadow said.

“But-but that’s-” Yosuke started to refute, but the Shadow -- Susanoo -- cut him off with a chuckle.

“Impossible, right? Oh no, it’s very possible. You may have accepted me before, but that was a long time ago. Things have changed since then, haven’t they Yosuke?” Susanoo asked. Yosuke felt himself go pale. This was bad. There was no way he could fight off his Shadow, with or without Nanako on his back.

“What do you want?” Yosuke asked, praying that he could resolve this without a confrontation.

“What else would I want? I want you to accept the things that you’re trying too hard to deny,” Susanoo answered. Yosuke felt himself start to sweat. There was only one thing Susanoo could possibly be talking about - and if he spilled the beans here, in front of Nanako, there was no way Souji wouldn’t find out.

As if on cue, Nanako coughed. It wasn’t nearly as bad as before, but it was still alarming, considering she was wearing Yosuke’s glasses. Susanoo frowned, a concerned look coming to his face as well.

“Come inside. There is no fog in here. Don’t worry - no matter what, I won’t hurt Nanako,” the Shadow said. Yosuke hesitated, but Nanako started to cough again. “I just want to talk. You’ve shown me that you have the strength to wield me as your Persona. Your goals are my goals.”

“...okay,” Yosuke finally relented, because as strong of a front as he was putting up, the fog was starting to affect him too. Susanoo turned on his heels and walked back through the sliding glass doors, and Yosuke nervously followed.

The interior was just like Junes, except for the fact that all of the posters advertising various products had been replaced with pictures. Pictures of people that Yosuke was pretty familiar with.

“Wh-what’s going on here?” he found himself asking, as he trailed behind Susanoo. The Shadow led them up the stairs and into the produce section.

“This place was created when you first came to our world,” Susanoo explained. “Something similar happened for Satonaka, too. This would have been your personal ‘dungeon’, had you not faced me in Saki-sempai’s dungeon instead.” The Shadow paused at an endcap conveniently piled with blankets, grabbing one before he continued on his way.

“What’s he talking about?” Nanako leaned over to whisper. He’d almost forgotten about her on his back, he’d been so focused on the threat posed by his Shadow.

“Uhhh...it’s like...how do I put this? We’re in another world, and when you first come to this world it builds a building based on what’s in your heart,” Yosuke attempted. Nanako made a noise of understanding.

“So that wasn’t really heaven back there, where you saved me from that bad guy?” she asked. Yosuke struggled to think back to what the place had looked like, but all he remembered was that it was tall and bright.

“No, I guess that was what was in your heart, or maybe in Namatame’s…?” he hazarded.

“So you really like Junes then?” she asked, and the excitement in her voice was both adorable and incredibly relieving to hear.

“Uh…” Yosuke started. Susanoo stopped and turned back toward them, starting to add something, but Yosuke interjected. “Don’t answer that.” He sighed, and Susanoo just shrugged, turning back around and moving forward again. “It’s...Junes is a big part of my life.”

“Oh,” Nanako replied, and she sounded a little disappointed. Desperate to change the subject, Yosuke cast around for another topic, before deciding to ask about what had potentially been her ‘dungeon’.

“So, why did you think that place back there was heaven, Nanako-chan?” he asked.

“When I get scared, I think about Mom,” Nanako replied, and her voice sounded so small and sad. “I want to see her again.”

“Oh!” Yosuke gasped, stopping right in his tracks. “S-sorry, Nanako! I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“It’s alright,” she replied. “You saved me from that bad guy after all.” Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief, and the three of them continued on. As they got closer to the second set of stairs, the pictures became more frequent. Just like Yosuke thought, they were people that had been important to him. Friends and classmates from his old school, and even some teachers, were starting to appear.

“So...the pictures…” Yosuke commented, though he was fairly sure he knew what Susanoo was going to say. The Shadow said nothing, but glanced over his shoulder at Yosuke to acknowledge that he had at least heard him. In any case, Yosuke got his answer when they passed a large corkboard on the wall, which would have been filled with fliers and posters and other advertisements in the real world. This one was entirely full of pictures of Saki.

“You get it, right?” Susanoo asked, turning his golden eyes on Yosuke. Yosuke nodded.

“It’s people that are important to me,” he answered, a sick feeling in his stomach. “So, I’m guessing the electronics section…”

“Why ask what you already know?” Susanoo replied, heading for the stairs. Yosuke had no choice but to follow him.

The electronics section was…about what Yosuke was expecting, but it was still a little horrifying. Every single screen in the area, and all of the posters on the walls, had all been replaced with pictures of Souji. All Souji, from different angles, in different places, in different outfits. They were all the moments that Yosuke remembered seeing Souji in a different light, or noticing a new thing he liked about his Partner. In some of the images he was with Nanako, or Dojima, or someone else from the Investigation Team...but everywhere he looked, he was faced with Souji. Smiling Souji, pensive Souji, relaxed Souji...just Souji.

Being confronted about his feelings like this made his stomach turn. It actually made him forget that he was still carrying Nanako, until she spoke up.

“You really care about Big Bro,” Nanako said, sounding awed. Yosuke felt his cheeks go red. He couldn’t deny it, when literally everywhere he looked he could see Souji. Even the floor, which was reflecting the images from the TVs. He looked for the big TV, the one they used to enter and exit the TV world usually, and found that it was taken up with a group shot of sorts, of all of the Investigation Team and Nanako. Yosuke himself wasn’t present, but that was to be expected - these were all from his perspective, he was realizing.

“It’s time we had our chat,” Susanoo said. His voice was soft and calm, almost disarming. Yosuke wanted to scream. The Shadow walked over to one of the massage chairs that were tucked away in a corner of the electronics section, draping the blanket he’d picked up over the chair. “Nanako can rest here.” Yosuke didn’t like the idea of putting Nanako down, but his arms and legs and back were really starting to hurt. Susanoo would keep his promise, he was sure of that. And if this Junes wasn’t connected to Saki’s twisted shopping district after all, they wouldn’t be able to make their way out of the TV that easily even if they could escape. He found his eyes drifting over to the large TV, and Susanoo chuckled.

“Think about escaping? Sorry, but that TV is a fake,” he said. To demonstrate, he pushed a nearby TV over, revealing that it was just a cardboard stand.

“...huh,” Yosuke replied. He sighed. The smartest thing to do in this situation was to wait here - Rise would be able to find them with Kanzeon, for sure. He just had to wait until then. The air was clean here, and they had access to food and blankets. All he needed to do was talk to Susanoo. That was going to be the hard part, but he had to take this one step at a time. He walked over to the chair and crouched beside it, letting Nanako climb down off of his back and sit in the chair. She sat down, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around herself.

“You get some rest, okay Nanako-chan? I’ll be right here,” he said, and she nodded. He stood up, stretching out his arm muscles, which gave a hearty protest after staying locked around Nanako’s legs for so long. He looked over to Susanoo, who only nodded at him in response. Just as he started to take a step toward the Shadow, he felt Nanako grab at one of his sleeves.

“Hm?” he asked, turning back to look at her.

“Um,” she started, looking a little shy. “Big Bro told me not to tell you this, but you’re really important to him too. He says he really likes you.”

And just like that, Yosuke was rendered totally speechless. His face went totally red, and Susanoo started laughing behind him.

“She’s doing my work for me, it seems,” Susanoo cackled, and Yosuke just put his face in his hands with a groan. Nanako made a confused noise.

“You like Big Bro, don’t you Yosuke?” she asked. All Yosuke could do was nod at first, finally mustering up the courage to move his hands and look down at her.

“Y-yeah I do, Nanako-chan. Um, can you maybe not tell him about all this?” he asked, and she made a face.

“I don’t like keeping secrets,” she pouted. “And I wasn’t supposed to tell you that Big Bro likes you!”

“It’s just,” he started to argue. “I...he’s my best friend, Nanako-chan. I don’t want anything to be weird.”

“Why would it be weird?” she asked. Susanoo just kept laughing behind them, and Yosuke was mortified.

“W-we’re both guys,” he started to explain.

“Oh! That’s...what do you call it...a bromance!” she exclaimed, with a big smile. Yosuke went completely still, mouth open, and he honestly couldn’t decide what to respond to first - the fact that she knew the word ‘bromance’, or the fact that he was actually having this discussion with her in the first place.

“It seems that Yosuke.exe has stopped working,” Susanoo quipped. Yosuke jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, turning to find that Susanoo had given up on trying to get Yosuke to move away from Nanako, and had instead come to stand beside them. Nanako was frowning.

“I don’t get it!” she declared. “Big Bro likes you and you like Big Bro, so what’s wrong?”

“He’s afraid,” Susanoo started, cutting off the denial that Yosuke was about to spout. Irritatingly, the Shadow wrapped an arm around one of Yosuke’s shoulders, pulling them together. “Some people don’t like it when two boys love each-other.”

“L-love?!” Yosuke squawked. Nanako gasped, sitting up completely in the chair.

“You love Big Bro?” she asked, and Yosuke just couldn’t lie to her adorable, innocent face.

“I-in a way,” he deflected instead, pushing Susanoo’s arm off of his shoulder and crossing his arms with a huff. Susanoo made a ‘tsk’ sound.

“You know what denying your feelings gets you in this world, right?” he asked, and Yosuke groaned.

“Fine, fine, I love Souji. Happy?” he asked, trying to pretend his face wasn’t entirely red. Nanako clapped and cheered in response, and Susanoo turned to him. The Shadow was starting to flicker back into his Persona form.

“There, was that so hard?” he asked, before he turned into Susanoo fully and disappeared, leaving behind the familiar tarot card until it, too, faded away. Yosuke felt something sort of click back into place, and guessed it was Susanoo settling back into his subconscious, waiting to be summoned again. He let out a sigh of relief. He turned back to Nanako, who was grinning up at him.

“Big Bro is gonna be so happy!” she said, and Yosuke started to feel himself panic.

“Please don’t tell him, Nanako-chan,” he said. She frowned, but he kept talking before she could berate him. “I want him to hear it from me first, okay? I promise I’ll tell him, but not right away.”

“...okay,” she finally relented.

“Good. Now, why don’t we go down to the first floor to wait?” he asked, reaching out for her hand. She stood up, still keeping the blanket tucked around her.

“Wait?” she asked.

“Yeah. Souji will get here soon. Rise-chan has a really special Persona that will let her find us in no time,” Yosuke explained, as they headed for the stairs down.

True to form, Souji came running through the doors about twenty minutes later, the rest of the IT hot on his heels. Yosuke and Nanako had been camped out on one of the benches in the lobby, solving a book of crossword puzzles that they’d found in the grocery section.

“Big Bro!” Nanako cried, jumping up and running to him. He scooped her up and gave her a big hug. Yosuke couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying, but Souji sounded incredibly relieved. He calmly put down the book and stood, making his way over to where the rest of the group had crowded around Souji and Nanako.

“What, nobody’s worried about me?” he asked, a joking lilt to his voice. Without even putting down Nanako, Souji all but lunged at him and dragged him into a hug too, Nanako having to wrap an arm around Yosuke’s neck to accommodate him. He soon found himself the center of a big group hug, Souji gasping about how worried he’d been about the both of them and how proud he was that Yosuke was able to save Nanako. When they all broke apart and Souji started to demand details about what happened, Yosuke held up a hand, palm out, to stall him.

“Can we talk about this on the way back to the real world? I have no idea what time it is, but I’m sure Nanako-chan needs some sleep, and I know I do,” he said. Souji just nodded, dumbfounded. He took Nanako-chan’s hand, and apparently he finally noticed that she was wearing Yosuke’s glasses.

“You gave her your glasses?” he asked, as they started walking. Yosuke nodded.

“I’ve got a killer headache, but she needs them to breathe in here, y’know?” he asked. Souji nodded, looking down at Nanako and back up at Yosuke.

“Thank you,” he said, and Yosuke shrugged it off.

“Any of us would’ve done the same, Partner,” he replied. Souji went silent, looking down at Nanako as Rise led the way back to their usual exit. Yosuke found himself staring at the side of Souji’s face, as he was just now realizing he did a lot. And then he remembered that Nanako had said that Souji liked him, and he realized that he was walking beside someone that he had a big, stupid crush on that liked him back, and he started to get flustered.

“Uhhh so, turns out that I have a dungeon and it’s Junes,” he blurted out, desperate to not have to keep thinking about his big stupid reciprocated crush on Souji.

“Really? I thought it was funny that we found you in a Junes, come to think of it,” Chie teased, and he rolled his eyes.

“According to Susanoo, you have a dungeon somewhere in here too, Satonaka,” he replied, and she gasped.

“Really? Huh. Wonder what it is,” she replied.

“Prolly Aiya’s, since all you’ve got on the brain is steak,” Yosuke goaded.

“Hey!” she protested, and Nanako giggled.

“So, what did you find in there, Yosuke-sempai?” Naoto asked.

“I had a nice long chat with Susanoo. He showed up looking like my Shadow, though,” Yosuke replied, and Naoto lifted an eyebrow.

“Really?” Souji asked. Then, as if he couldn’t help himself, he asked “What did you talk about?”

“Let’s not discuss that right now,” Yosuke replied, immediately, urgently. Souji blinked at him in response.

“Oh man, whatever it was must have been juicy!” Chie chuckled. “You saw, right Nanako-chan? Will you tell us?”

“Nope! Yosuke made promise not to tell,” she replied. Then she looked up at Yosuke.

“I know, I know, I remember. I’ll keep my promise,” he said, and she nodded, apparently satisfied. Everyone else spent the entire walk back to the entrance trying unsuccessfully to get Nanako to tell them what Yosuke’s Shadow had said. Souji kept looking between Nanako and Yosuke, looking pensive but relieved. In the lobby of Junes, the real Junes, everybody made plans to meet up the next day at the hospital. Souji informed Nanako that her father was in the hospital but doing fine, to her obvious relief. Everybody went their separate ways, except for Yosuke. Mainly because Nanako insistently grabbed his hand and would not let go until he made it clear that he was going to walk home with the two of them. Souji chuckled.

“So I’m guessing that your Shadow had something to say about me?” he asked, and there was a little bit of fear in his voice. Yosuke sighed.

“Nothing bad,” he reassured him, and Souji nodded. Nanako giggled, but wouldn’t say a word when Souji asked her what was so funny. Yosuke died a little, and considered literally running away, but he didn’t want to disappoint Nanako.

“We still haven’t found Namatame,” Souji filled him in. “When we went in to rescue the two of you, Rise said she could feel a third person somewhere in the TV world, so that’s probably him.”

“Yeah,” Yosuke agreed. The Dojima house was in sight, and Yosuke was starting to low-key panic. “Oh, right, what about my parents? We were gone for a whole night, right?”

“They called the house. I told them that you were staying over to study, and that you were in the shower and couldn’t answer. Those drama lessons are starting to pay off, I’d say,” he joked, and Yosuke nodded, relieved. “Teddie told them the same thing when he went home.”

“Good,” Yosuke replied. They were on the front steps now, and Souji was pulling out his keys to unlock the house. If he ran now, he could still escape without having to tell Souji his feelings.

Nanako grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.

“I’ll go run the bath, Big Bro! You need to talk to Yosuke, okay?” she called, slipping out of her shoes and making a beeline for the bathroom, and Yosuke was honestly impressed with how cunning she could be. Souji looked at him. He looked at Souji.

“...so?” Souji asked, after a minute. Yosuke could feel himself sweating.

Here goes.

“I...um. My Shadow....Susanoo, um…” Yosuke stammered, having to stop to take a deep breath. Souji waited patiently for him to continue. “Susanoo, he...I...argh! Partner, do me a favor and close your eyes, okay?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Souji replied, dutifully closing his eyes. Yosuke sighed, approaching Souji and trying to pretend he wasn’t trembling. He was sure of his feelings, though, and Nanako had told him that Souji liked him too -- so why was he so nervous? Oh, right. He was scared that even though they both wanted this, he was going to screw everything up anyway. He suddenly felt something in the back of his mind, and got the sense that Susanoo was reprimanding him. Right. He promised both Susanoo and Nanako that he’d tell Souji how he felt.

He closed the distance between them, eyes flicking up to make sure that Souji’s eyes were still closed. Then he leaned up and grabbed Souji’s shoulders, pulling him down and leaning up and pressing their mouths together. Souji’s eyes flew open and he made a surprised noise, but didn’t pull away, arms going around Yosuke’s waist and pulling him closer. Yosuke couldn’t help it when his eyes fluttered shut, the kiss morphing from an unsure, stilted thing to warm and affectionate as they kissed.

“Yosuke…?” Souji asked, when they finally pulled away from each-other. Yosuke was bright red, and panting a little to catch his breath. He let the adrenaline coursing through his veins guide him, reaching out with both hands to take one of Souji’s and meeting his eyes, a determined look on his face.

“Partner, I love you,” he admitted. Souji smiled, and the wave of warmth and joy that washed over Yosuke in response was addictive. “That’s what Susanoo confronted me about. I know you’ll be going home in the spring and...and we’re both guys and I’ve been really shitty about this stuff, but will you go out with me?”

“Of course,” Souji replied, pulling Yosuke into a hug. “I... I love you too, Yosuke.”

When Nanako finally emerged from the bath, she poked her head into the living room to see the two of them sitting side-by-side at the kotatsu, watching the TV. They both looked up when she came in.

“Did you tell him yet?” she asked Yosuke, excited, and Yosuke chuckled.

“I promised, didn’t I?” he answered. Souji lifted their hands, which were laced together, above the table so that Nanako could see. She squealed in happiness and ran to them, pulling them both into a big hug.

#souyowrimo 2017 #souyo hell #souyo

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hakuyamazakisensei · 7 years

Note

One-shot meme? So basically, you're taking requests, right? Alright: how about Hijikata decides to try for a pleasant evening out and deliberately avoids Shimabara (the area) because, you know, the baka trio or worse Souji might find him. He just wants to have a few drinks over a couple of hours and eat a quiet, well-prepared meal. Unfortunately, the baka trio have also decided to avoid Shimabara because they don't want to be seen by Yamazaki, since he always reports to Hijikata. ^u^

Hijikata scowled as he pinched the bridge of his nose andmarched toward the front gates of the Shinsengumi headquarters. He wasfrustrated at having been practically ordered to go out for the evening. Had heonly had to face either Kondo-san or Sannan-san, he might have fared better,but when both men tag-teamed to get him to take an evening off, he hadreluctantly capitulated.

When he reached the street, Hijikata automatically turned inthe direction of Kyoto and Shimabara before stopping dead in his tracks. If hewas supposed to be going out to relax, the last thing he needed or wanted wasto run into any of the captains….especially a certain trio of idiots who, bythis time, probably had more sake in them than sense. Hijikata immediately turnedin the opposite direction, deciding to give the new little tea-house rightthere in Mibu a try.

Not far from headquarters themselves, the three men Hijikatawas trying so desperately to avoid stood in the middle of the street, quietlydebating their plans for the evening. They had gotten a late start, thanks toHeisuke’s insistence that they wait until Chizuru was safely back in her roombefore they headed out. Not that the men weren’t concerned about Chizuru; butSouji and Saito were staying in, so there was really no need to wait, asShinpachi was quick to point out for the one hundredth time that night.

“So, where are we going, anyway?” Heisuke asked, attemptingto change the subject…again.

“Shimabara!” Shinpachi said, fiercely. “Why are you twotrying to mess with tradition, anyway?”

Sano shook his head and let out a long-suffering sigh.Before he could speak, however, Heisuke jumped in.

“Because all you want to go there for are the women!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Shinpachi asked with a look ofcomplete bewilderment.

“Because you and Sano-san go off and leave me sitting thereall by myself!” Heisuke’s voice had started to rise and Sano placed a warninghand on his shoulder.

“So get a girl!” Shinpachi said, throwing his hands in theair.

“I…don’t want to get a girl,” Heisuke muttered, digging thetoe of his sandal in the dirt. “I want to drink with my friends and rememberthe good old days…and stuff like that.”

Sano chuckled and ruffled Heisuke’s hair, causing theyounger man to swat at him in irritation.

“Well, I’m for staying a bit closer to home tonight, myself.Do you two know how hard it is to get your asses back to headquarters when youcan barely walk?”

Heisuke grinned unabashedly while Shinpachi just grumbledunder his breath. Two against one meant he wouldn’t be going to Shimabara andhe wasn’t thrilled. Still, a night out was a night out, and all three men weredetermined to make it an entertaining one.

“There’s a new tea-house around here somewhere,” Sanosuggested with a lift of his shoulders.

“Let’s do it!” Heisuke said and looked to Shinpachi forconcurrence.

“Fine, fine…let just goalready. Curfew is creeping closer, you know.” The three men trudged off, Sanoin the lead, in search of the newly-opened shop.

Back at headquarters, Saito brought sake and two cups toSouji’s room and the two men settle in for a brief respite from the day-to-daygrind of patrolling a city that neither appreciated nor wanted them. Gen-sanand Kondo-san had decided to treat Chizuru to sweets and a night of tales fromShiei Hall, so the captains found themselves free for the evening. Saito hadwanted to go out on rounds, but Hijikata had insisted that if he had to set work aside, his executiveofficer could do the same. So now, Shimada and Takeda were out patrolling, andSaito had a different task -albeit one he had given himself- to keep Soujioccupied and out of Hijikata’s hair.

“Hajime-kun, I’m not really in the mood for sake. Let’s go do something.”

Saito gave his friend a flat stare and Souji couldn’t helpbut chuckle.

“Don’t worry…I have no intention of following anybody toShimabara. Actually, there’s a new teahouse right here in Mibu that might befun.”

Saito eyed the First Unit Captain warily, but nodded and gotto his feet. He returned the drink and cups to the kitchen, with Souji right onhis heels, and the two set out immediately afterward.

At the teahouse, a serving girl set a small cup of tea infront of the Shinsengumi’s vice-commander and immediately turned away beforebeing halted in her steps when the man spoke.

“Would you have time to join me for a drink?” Hijikataasked, surprising himself as well as the girl. It wasn’t that he necessarilywanted the company of a woman, per se…but he felt like playing the part of anordinary citizen. He wanted to shrug off all his burdens and just enjoyhimself. Unfortunately, the girl waved her hands rather frantically in denialand scuttled away like a frightened kitten. Hijikata sighed. He supposed hisreputation as the Mibu Wolves’ demon vice-commander preceded him. He broughthis cup to hips lips and savored the tart taste, but nearly strangled when acommotion at the front of house interrupted the quietness within.

“Listen, guys…just try to behave yourselves here, okay?”Sano was saying, while Shinpachi and Heisuke argued over something Hijikatacouldn’t quite make out.

The older man tried to sink a little lower in his seat,hoping to avoid being seen by any of the captains who had just waltzed throughthe door. Why? Why had they come here of all places? Hijikata fumed intohis cup and kept his back to the door. At least the idiots didn’t seem to beinebriated…yet. He sighed again and watched as the serving girl dashed out togreet the captains and take their orders before disappearing into the back onceagain. She came back out with a serving tray full of cups, a large jug of sakeand several sweets, and Hijikata knew he needed to find a way to sneak outbefore his men finished that bottle and ordered more.

Unable to keep his curiosity in check, Hijikata watched asthe server delivered the drinks to the men’s table, wondering if Harada wouldhave any better luck having her join them than he did. He hoped not. He hatedto admit it, but he definitely didn’t want to be present if one of hissubordinates was chosen over him, as petty as it may have sounded. Luckily, thegirl seemed to keep her eyes glued to the floor and kept inching away, even asNagakura tried his best to flirt. Finally, Hijikata watched as Harada swattedthe back of Nagakura’s head and the girl whisked off into the safe-haven of theback room once again. Chuckling to himself, Hijikata sipped his tea in silence.

Shinpachi glared at Sano over his cup. He was pretty surethe girl was just about to succumb to his flirting when Sano had to jump in andruin it. He was just about to tell the red-head off when the front door slidopen and Saito walked in, followed quickly by Souji.

“Hey! What are you guys doing here?” Heisuke asked, sittingup a little straighter in his seat. “Where’s Chiz…Yukimura?”

“Relax, lover-boy,” Souji drawled as he pulled up a chair. “Kondo-sanhas everything under control.”

Saito pulled another chair over and placed it between Soujiand Heisuke. “I hope we aren’t interrupting?”

“Nah, we’re just getting started!” Shinpachi said with agrin. “I’ll wave down the help!” He looked around, hoping to spot the same girlas before, and his eyes lit up when she stepped out of the back room. However,when the girl spotted him and saw that two more Shinsengumi captains had seatedthemselves at the table, she turned around immediately and disappeared.Shinpachi frowned but shrugged, turning his attention back to his friends.

Hijikata bristled when he heard that voice over the din. Of all the rotten luck….He definitely didnot want to be spotted by Souji. Glancing quickly around, he was glad to seethat Kondo-san’s protégé had his back tohim; that would make slipping out a bit easier. But how to do it without beingseen by any of the others? He looked toward the back room where the servinggirl hid. Was there a back exit? Surely there must be. Nodding to himself, hestood and quickly made his way over, praying to the gods that he wasn’t spottedbefore reaching the threshold.

When he reached the doorway to the back room, Hijikata pokedhis head in carefully, searching out any sign of another door. The girl sprangto her feet the moment Hijikata entered the room and ducked her head, turningaway from him.

“Relax, I’m just looking for a way out of here.”

The girl’s shoulders seemed to relax and she pointed to afar wall. Hijikata moved in that direction, and he smiled once he was able tomake out the door in the darkness.

“Thank you,” he told the girl before slipping out into thenight.

The girl watched him leave and heaved a sigh of relief.Moments later, her employer stuck his head in. Clenching fists at her side, thegirl told the man that she would notbe back. She handed in her apron and sped out the back door, much as Hijikatahad done only moments before. At the end of the short alley, Yamazaki took in adeep breath, pulled the wig from his head and stuffed it into a bad he hadplaced in the alley that morning. He had never been so humiliated in his life.He was grateful that nobody seemed to recognize him, but…it just been tooclose.

#one-shot meme #shinsengumi #hijikata toshizo #baka trio

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stuffandsundry · 7 years

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Alt. P5 Justice Confidant

okay. okayokayokay IM GOOD, IM READY THIS TIME, I HAVE NOTES, BUCKLE IN OUT ALL AROUND YALL.

so a weekish ago i made this vaguely incoherent post about how Goro Akechi’s confidant could be improved, and I’m back now, armed with coffee and a slightly more coherent statement. Spoilers under the cut.

(I haven’t fact-checked everything here, so if I get something wrong, sorry. I just don’t feel like going through 100+ hours of footage for what’s essentially a vent post, haha. Aight lets get into it)

First things first: I don’t actually hate Goro Akechi-- I kinda neutralish like him, tbh. I am, however, in a constant state of seething rage about how grossly mishandled his whole everything is. Conceptually, I think he’s an interesting character, and a good foil to the Phantom Thieves.... as a whole. And that. That right there? Is one of my problems with Akechi. By setting him up as a foil to the protagonist alone, they weaken his characterization.

The thing about Persona protags in general is that by and large, they’re mostly silent observers up to a point within their own stories. You can project your own headcanons onto them as much as you like-- heavens know that I’ve seen dozens of Yus or Soujis or Minatos floating around. Some are heavily based in canon, some are just what the fans thought was cool, and that’s great! Creativity rocks! But... Akechi’s entire deal-- the way that he reacted to gaining a Persona and access to the Metaverse? It’s intrinsically tied into his backstory, which P5 Protag by necessity has the bare minimum of.

You can argue that Goro and Protag are both victims of a corrupt system, and that as foils it shows how working within the system doesn’t work and sometimes you just need to go “fuck youuuu”, but listen, if that’s the criteria, P5 Protag is a better foil for Goro’s mom. Made one mistake that ruined their life and branded tham a pariah, we don’t know much about their life beforehand, tried to keep their head down and deal. And while Protag eventually rebelled, and found compatriots in that rebellion, Goro’s mother didn’t, and stayed alone, and died. Essentially, what I’m trying to say is that sure, Protag and Akechi both victims. But the injustices perpetrated against Akechi and Protag are different.

Which isn’t a huge problem. It could still work-- it does, up to a point.

But.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves are right there. You want foils? Literally half of the roster of the Phantom Thieves would make great foils!!!

Ann-- both think that it’s better for an abuser to live and suffer the consequences rather than escape into death. And depending on how exactly Goro feels about his mother, fighting because of revenge, too.

Ryuji-- relationship with fame, mom: ryuji has a loving mother, desires recognition for efforts as part of the Thieves, Akechi has the adoration of the masses, but he’ll never get his parents’ approval

Makoto-- wanting Sae’s approval vs having Sae’s approval but being indifferent towards it, both methodical, logic-minded, and good at school/hard workers, but impulsive at times as well.

Futaba-- on the record, both lost their mothers to suicide, supposedly because they couldn’t stand the shame of having had a child out of wedlock (though this isn’t at all true for Wakaba). The hecked up irony of Akechi taking away what Futaba had and making her just like him.

Yusuke-- I can’t come up with anything truly substantial off the top of my head, but there’s potential for Yusuke knowing that something was up with Madarame and choosing to not believe it vs Goro knowing that Shido was a shithead from the beginning and jumping in anyways

Haru-- maybe something to do with how she found out about the Metaverse and immediately tried to do something about her father using it, same as Goro probably did.

The point is, there’s a better way to characterize Goro, and that’s to have him interact more with your teammates, not by having the focus be on his interactions with the Protag. Because we know why our teammates react to things the way that they do. And by having Goro talk to them, we can get better characterization by observing the way that he plays off them, rather than having “Akechi walks over and monologues at me sometimes, and I understand him better because of that (no i don’t)”. Which brings me to another point, actually. Teammate interaction means that conversations with Akechi are far less one-sided than they are in the majority of interactions Protag has with him. Again-- the protagonist is mostly passive because he’s a partial player insert, and I totally get that. But the way that you’re only really given short dialogue options, while Akechi is clearly trying to get some sort of reaction from you (im pretty sure he believes that you and the gang are the PT as early as his Rank 2) gives me a really strong impression of “oh god it’s this guy again please go away”, which I’m sure isn’t the writer’s intention. But still. I Don’t Like It.

There are very few mostly-innocuous things that get my hackles up faster than feeling like I’m beholden to listen to somebody talk. The other two automatic confidants don’t do this to me because they’re very clearly story-related from the beginning, I know they’re going to happen, I have a general idea of how it’s going to go. Akechi just comes out of nowhere and tries to get a reaction out of me like he’s the heckin Spanish Inquisition. Do you know how much it sucks to have some person decide that you’re their friend (or fated rival or w/e), and that that gives them the right to approach you out of nowhere to vent or prod at you to see how you’ll react, and you can’t tell them hey, maybe don’t? Because that’s how I feel about his confidant. Listen, at least if you don’t like Ryuji or Kawakami or Makoto any other confidant, you aren’t obligated to progress them.

So how do you fix this? There’s two options that I favor:

You don’t make his confidant automatic, or

You make his confidant Goro Akechi vs. The Phantom Thieves instead of just Goro

I want to talk about the second option. Let Protag’s teammates carry the conversation! Akechi espouses a kind of Justice that members of the PT can’t agree with, to varying degrees. Some members may understand where he’s coming from more than others (say, Makoto or Ryuji, respectively) but the members of the PT were in circumstances such that if the Phantom Thieves had not existed, the corrupted system could not have resolved their personal injustices. And there’s something interesting to be found in this clash of ideaology! It would help to characterize both Akechi and your teammates!!

It wouldn’t even be that hard to change-- out of his 10 confidants, something like 6 or 7 of them are already group scenes! Just... just have him talk more with your teammates instead of hyperfixiating on you! That’s it! That’s all you needed to do!

Giving your teammates more interaction with Akechi also makes their abrupt change of opinion of him less (???) too! Because it implies that they were forced to re-evaluate all their previous interactions with him based on the information that he gives before and during his boss battle-- have one of them make a reference to that, afterwards. Like Haru’s ‘I understand where you’re coming from now, but also I still can’t forgive you’, but with more background behind it. Akechi making cryptic remarks about bad parents in the past and Ryuji or Yusuke or Futaba going “ah. i can understand you better now” after the battle.

Augh.

Anyways. Thanks for stickin with me until the end of this friggin monster. I.... should go do actual work now, bye.

#goro akechi #p5 spoilers #sundrywritings;

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eliz1369 · 7 years

Text

Their Oni Hope - Chapter 1

Author’s Note:

I wanted to get this up for May 4th, but obviously that didn’t happen. This is loosely based on Star Wars - A New Hope… and by loosely I mean, I’m keeping the setting, the basic plot, and as much dialogue as I can, and that’s about it. None of the ‘main’ cast will be star wars characters (including droids, because that much crossover hurts my head). This radically changes how the story will progress (no magical old wizards in Hakuouki to get the quest going). I may end up writing myself into a corner because of this decision, but for now I’m just going to see where it gets me. Basically I’m dropping hakuouki characters into the plot of A New Hope and seeing what they do with it. Minimal Star Wars knowledge is helpful but not required. (honestly it’ll be more helpful if you know the Hakuouki cast) This can also be found on ff.net

Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki or Star Wars! (no duh)

A Quick Character Recap:

Chizuru - Tatooine native whose brilliant father (Kodo) was taken away by the Empire two years ago. Since then she’s managed their moisture farm on her own.

Sen - Princess of Alderaan, Imperial Senator, and Rebel leader. She is attempting to reach Dr. Yukimura with the Death Star plans, in the hope that he will be able to find a weakness.

Harada, Nagakura, and Heisuke - The crew of the Millennium Falcon. They are smugglers currently in the employ of (and are also in serious debt to) the crime lord Jabba the Hutt.

Kondou, Hijikata, Souji, and Saito - Members of the Rebel Alliance. Senator Kondou and the three elite X-wing pilots are stationed at the hidden rebel base on Yavin VI.

Emperor Kazama, Viceroy Amagiri, Darth Nagumo, and Bountyhunter Shiranui - The Empire! Nagumo and Amagiri are currently chasing Sen. Shiranui is on Tatooine (I think? ~.~’ don’t hold me to that) and Kazama is on Coruscant.

Chapter 1

Sen grabbed the back of the captain’s chair as the Tantive VI shook with the impact of another turbolaser blast, and around the bridge, new warning lights flared to life, joining the myriad already going off.

Off to her left, one of the crew members called out in a voice laced with fear, “Rear deflectors down, damage to main shield generator!”

The woman three stations down did a better job of modulating her tone, but there was no hiding the immense strain of the situation. “Sublight drives three and four are down! Six overloading due to power fluctuations!”

In the center of the flurry of activity, Captain Antilles stood tall, seemingly unaffected by the fear that had infected the crew and when he spoke, his voice was as measured and firm as it always was. “Shut six down and switch to auxiliary shield generator.”

His command was greeted by a chorus of “Aye sir!” from the crew, and he turned to face her as the ship’s gravity fluctuated slightly. “I’m sorry your Highness, but I don’t believe we’ll be able make it to Tatooine. At this rate we’ll be lucky to make it out of the planet’s gravity well and make the jump to hyperspace before they get a tractor lock on us.”

Sen bit her lip as her eyes slid to the desert planet that was slowly disappearing from the front viewport, to be replaced by the blackness of empty space. “Could we broadcast the plans to him without the destroyer detecting it? We need Dr. Yukimura to analyze these plans. He’s the only person we know we can trust and who has the skill.” Her fingers tightened where they gripped the chair, “All we need is a small weakness, anything that will give us a fighting chance.”

She almost lost her balance when another turbolaser blast shook the ship, and the captain put out a hand to steady her as he said, “Not at this range. They’d trace it in an instant.”

“Sublight drives one, two, and five are down! We’ve lost all sublight drives, repeat, all sublight drives! We’re dead in space sir!”

Turning away from her, Antilles barked at the navigator, “If we continue on our current heading and speed, how long until we escape the gravity well?

“Five minutes, sir!”

“Damn, thats too long…” Reaching over to the arm of the captain’s chair, he pressed the button for ship-wide communication. “Attention all crew members, prepare to be boarded. Proceed to your assigned defensive stations. Permission to fire at will.”

Sen stared at the captain in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening, not when they were so close! Were all the lives that had been lost to gain this information going to be for nothing?

He must of read something of her thoughts in her eyes because his eyes softened as he said, “Your Highness, I’m not going to let them take this ship without a fight. I can at least give you the time to take the plans and get to an escape pod. If we eject them all at once, we can make it look like a systems failure. Their scans just might miss a single life-sign.”

She glanced down at the datacard she held in her hand. It was so small, yet the future of the entire galaxy depended on what they could learn from the plans it held. She straightened her shoulders as she nodded. “Thank you Captain Antilles. I promise your sacrifice won’t be wasted.”

As she turned and ran toward the interior of the ship, a different kind of shockwave shook the vessel from bow to stern. “Captain! Confirmed tractor lock! They’re reeling us in!”

Sen stopped at the bulkhead which divided the bridge from the rest of the ship and looked back at the man who had served her family since she was a child. He gave her one final solemn nod as he called, “Go, those plans are more important than any of our lives.”

Her resolved strengthened, she took off down the corridor, for once in her life unconcerned with the dignity her station dictated she normally maintain.

She was just passing her quarters, when the full impact of what might very well be Captain Antilles last words hit her, and she slid to a stop. More important than any of our lives… Her life was no more valuable than any of theirs. Her duty was to see to it that the plans made their way into the Rebellion’s hands, regardless of what it cost her personally.

A new plan now firmly set in her mind, she darted into her quarters and called, “Veena, where are you?”

From under the bed rolled a VN-A3 droid, it’s small silver and magenta body weaving back and forth as it beeped in a way that managed to be both panicked and scolding at the same time.

“I know, sorry. I meant to come right back, but I need your help now.” She knelt down and the little droid rolled up to her. Once it was within reach, Sen felt under the small lip of it’s domed head until her fingers found the tiny button she was looking for. “I’m really sorry, Veena, but you’re not going to like this… Initiate override, designation Suzuka Sen, code 48326. Veena your orders are to use any and all means necessary to ensure these plans reach Yukimura Kodo, and failing that, get them back to Senator Kondou Isami and the rest of the Rebellion. Under no circumstances is this information to fall into the Empire’s hands…” She hesitated for a moment, but resolutely pushed on as she fought against tears at the thought of losing the droid that had been the equivalent of her best friend. “Even… Even if that means a self-initiated memory wipe and permanent deactivation.”

When she released the button, Veena remained still for a moment, lights flashing intermittently, before she shuddered and gave a low moan. Sen gave the droid one last hug before putting aside her emotions. “I’m going to need you to record a message for me. We don’t have much time.”

In front of Captain Antilles the displays showed the steadily decreasing distance between himself and the star destroyer that had chased them all the way from Toprawa, where they had received the transmission of the plans. He knew it was useless to try and plead their case, but even now their cover had to be maintained.

Reaching over the shoulder of the comm officer, he depressed the button for emergency broadcast. “This is Captain Antilles of the Tantive VI, please cease your attack. We are a consular ship on a senate approved diplomatic mission. You have no right to detain us.”

He waited a moment, but got only the expected silence. He glanced down at the comm officer. “Keep trying to reach the Imperial Senate. Do whatever you have to, to try and break through their jamming.”

His personal communicator beeped and he moved back toward the command chair as he pulled out the small device. “Are you in place Princess?”

“Yes, ready when you are.”

“Alright, launch of all escape pods in three… two… one… May the Force be with you your Highness.” He entered his personal command code and depressed the button for emergency launch.

Out the forward view, dozens of escape pods launched in all directions. Most were headed for empty space, but some would land on the planet’s surface. He held his breath, waiting for the star destroyer to begin firing on the pods, but star strewn expanse remained devoid of the signature green streaks.

He let out a sigh of relief. “She made it…”

“She did? Good to hear.”

Antilles swore a rather inappropriate oath as he glanced at the still transmitting communicator. “What the hell are you doing on board!”

“I couldn’t take the chance that they’d pick up my life-sign. Don’t worry, the plans are on their way to Tatooine with someone I trust. They will reach Kodo and the Rebellion.”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Really, he should have expected something like this from her. “Fine, as long as you’re here, you might as well do something useful. The best thing we can do to buy time is to make them think we still have the plans. I’m still going to try and bluff them with our cover, but the longer you stay out of their hands, the more time we give your friend to reach the planet.”

“Got it. Good luck Captain, and my the Force be with us.”

A shudder ran the length of the ship as the star destroyer’s docking clamps locked onto the Tantive VI. Their part in delivering the plans to the Rebel Alliance was over. Now it was their duty to be the rearguard that would hold the line as long as they possibly could.

After ensuring Veena had safely launched, the first thing Sen had done was start back toward her cabin. She’d been halfway there, when she’d felt the tremor of the docking clamps locking onto the ship. Since Veena was essentially her constant companion, they’d long ago stopped noting her presence in the ship’s logs. If Sen was on board, it was basically guaranteed that her VN-A3 droid would be as well. Additionally, no Imperial ever paid any real attention to droids. They were tools to them and nothing more. Hopefully all of this taken together would mean that Veena’s disappearance would go unnoticed. She trusted the droid to get the job done and it wasn’t like Veena was defenseless. Disregarding standard protocol, Sen had never wiped Veena’s memory, so she had quite a few talents and tricks up her proverbial sleeves.

Right as Sen slapped her palm on the panel next to her door, she could hear a distant bang, followed by the muted sounds of blaster fire. The ship’s airlock had been breached. They certainly aren’t wasting any time… She ran to the secret compartment set into the headboard of the bed, and after scanning her palm, reached into the reached into the drawer that was supposed to store top secret datacards. If her father knew what she was using it for now, she’d be in for the lecture of a lifetime.

Just like every Alderaanian, she believed that things could be solved without aggression and violence, but she was also more realistic than most. While her father, Bail Suzuka, supported the rebellion from the shadows, he refused to go against the Alderaanian vow of nonviolence. She saw things differently. Non-violence only worked if the other side had a reason to listen, and thus far every attempt at diplomacy had failed. That, and the horror they’d constructed, were the only reasons she was able to close her fingers around the blaster she’d acquired before they’d attempted this mission.

Now armed, she ran back out into the corridor. The place furthest from the airlock was either the bow or the stern. She didn’t know the myriad corridors that made up the area near the drives all that well, but it was better than the bridge. The sound of blaster fire was definitely sounded like it was getting closer. If she didn’t hurry, they’d block her off, leaving her corralled in the forward section of the ship. Careful to keep her steps as quiet as possible, she made her way down the corridor.

The imperial lieutenant snapped sharply to attention as he stopped a respectful distance from the rather short and unimposing figure standing in one of the Tantive VI’s corridors, his eyes carefully averted from the bodies lying scattered on the floor. Those who had served any length of time in the Imperial Navy inevitably heard the rumors that, while Viceroy Amagiri may look the more intimidating of the Emperor Kazama’s aids, Lord Nagumo was the one to fear.

The lieutenant cleared his throat slightly before he said, “The Death Star plans are not in the main computer.”

Lord Nagumo’s eyes narrowed and his fingers twitched dangerously as he turned to the middle aged man flanked by two stormtroopers. “Where are those transmissions you intercepted Captain Antilles?” When the man’s only answer was a stoic silence, Lord Nagumo raised his hand, his fingers curling as if he were holding a small invisible object. “What have you done with those plans?”

For a second nothing seemed to happen, but then the lieutenant noticed a flush bloom across Antilles face and creep down his neck as he tugged at his collar. When he spoke, his voice was strained, “We intercepted no transmissions.”

Of course the lieutenant had heard rumors of Lord Nagumo’s ability, but he had never seen it first hand. Lord Nagumo’s hand closed a fraction more and the captain coughed, his face now purple and his hands frantically scrabbling at his neck as his feet left the deck. “Ack… This is a consular ship. We’re on a diplomatic mission…”

“If this is a consular ship, then where is the ambassador?”

When Antilles didn’t answer, Lord Nagumo’s hand snapped closed. The action was accompanied by a rather disturbing popping noise from Antilles’ neck as he dropped limply to the deck.

The lieutenant’s face paled as Lord Nagumo whirled on him, his finger jabbing aggressively. “Lieutenant, tear this ship apart until you’ve found those plans and bring me the Ambassador! I want her alive!”

Almost frantically, he and the nearby stormtroopers scattered, each determined not to seem slow in following Lord Nagumo’s orders. As he set off down the corridor at a pace that was only just shy of being a undignified run, the lieutenant couldn’t help but think that all the rumors he’d heard were true. Lord Nagumo wasn’t one to suffer fools lightly and the consequences of earning his ire would most certainly be fatal.

The distinctive clatter of stormtrooper boots on metal decking echoed down the corridor and Sen pressed herself tighter into the small alcove as her finger moving to rest on the trigger of her blaster. With any luck they would turn off before they reached her like all the other search parties had.

Unfortunately it seemed luck wasn’t on her side, because the steps continued toward her. When they reached the turn several feet away, Sen realized she had to move then or risk being cornered. She darted out of her hiding spot right as the two stormtroopers rounded the corner.

“There she is! Set for stun!”

Sen blindly fired off a shot over her shoulder as she ran, but she hadn’t take more than a few steps before she felt a tingling fire followed by numbness race through her limbs. As she collapsed to the deck, a pair of white boots appeared in her field of view, kicking her blaster out of her reach.

“She’ll be alright. Inform Lord Nagumo we have a prisoner.”

Rather roughly, binders were locked around her wrists and she was hauled to her feet. Not that they were working just yet, but Sen could already feel first hint of sensation returning. Stun blasts didn’t last long. By the time they made it to the bridge of the ship, she had not only regained control over her limbs, but she’d also managed to convince her captors that she could walk perfectly fine on her own.

So it was that when she came face to face with the infamous Lord Nagumo, she did so on her own two feet and will all the weight of her royal upbringing she could manage.

“Lord Nagumo. I should have known only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit for this, when they hear you’ve attacked a diplomatic-”

“Don’t play games with me, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. You passed directly through a restricted system. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies.” Nagumo’s smile twisted at the corner and his eyes hardened as he said, “I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan-”

Nagumo’s smile turned into a snarl as he said, “You’re a part of the Rebel Alliance and a Traitor. Take her away.”

He gestured sharply at the stormtroopers on either side of her and she was led away. Once the bridge was out of sight, she let her shoulders sag just a bit. How did this all go so wrong? No, she couldn’t think like that. As she took her first steps onto the star destroyer that had chased her from Toprawa, Sen raised her head, ignoring the sideways looks from the hanger crew. Veena would get through. There was still hope.

As Nagumo turned to look out the now cracked front view port, one of the destroyer’s commanders approached. He could tell there was something on the man’s mind that he was determined to say despite the carefully controlled air of fear that tinged his presence. As he should. Those who did not fear him or flaunted their rank and false power were always shown the error of their ways.

Without turning he said, “What is it you wish to say Commander?”

There was a slight pause before, “Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the senate.”

“I have traced the Rebel spies to her. She is my only link to finding their secret base.”

“She’ll die before she tells you anything.”

He turned to give the commander a look that had made even Grand Admirals give way to him. “Leave that to me. Send a distress signal and inform the senate that all aboard were killed.”

The commander’s face paled slightly as the same lieutenant who had reported to him earlier returned and snapped to attention.

“Lord Nagumo , the battle station plans are not aboard this ship and no transmissions were made. The escape pods were jettisoned during the conflict, but no life forms were detected. Only one of the pods fired its thrusters, but this is presumed to be a malfunction. It’s telemetry was traced to and area known locally as the Jundland Wastes.”

Nagumo nodded slowly, “She must have hidden the plans in an escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them.” He turned to eye the commander again, “See to it personally, Commander. There will be no one to stop us this time.”

There was a brief and almost lethal pause before the commander reluctantly said, “As you wish, Lord Nagumo. I will see it done.”

Veena moaned quietly to herself as she looked out over the seemingly endless dunes.

It had taken her several tries to even get her short little body over the lip of the pod, and the resulting tumble had completely scrambled her only recently re-calibrated gyros. The entry into Tatooine’s atmosphere had been turbulent enough that the VN-A8 droid was surprised she was even still in one piece. According to the map in her memory, she had to head east from her current location if she was to reach Dr. Yukimura.

Whistling and twittering to herself, Veena determinedly began rolling down the dune and away from the pod.

#Their Oni Hope #hakuouki x star wars #sen-hime #nagumo kaoru #fanfic #crossover

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ai-da-ice · 7 years

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[Live Door] Put Pressure to the Side! Sota Hanamura challenges the stage!

Da-iCE’s Sota Hanamura’s ultimate weapon is being a vocal with overwhelming singing skill. After succeeding at the group’s Budokan live, in the spring he will challenge starring in the stage play “Chiruran Shinsengumi Requiem”. During his training lesson, he showed a smile, saying, “I am happy even to have painful experiences,” and shows no inclination to negative words. The harsh circumstances and heavy pressure turn into positive with the gentleness of his imagination. One by one, he responds to our questions with unexpected answers. What is going on inside the head of Hanamura-san?

The confidence of Shinsengumi Hijikata Toshizo is something they have in common!?

- The stage play originated from popular manga “Chiruran Shinsengumi” and is an action stage depicting the heroes of the strongest samurai group, the Shinsengumi, at the end of the Bakumatsu period. Expectations are high because Da -iCE ’s Sota Hanamura (role Hijikata Toshizo) and Toru Iwaoka (role Okita Souji) are starring together.

Because we did not know we’d be starring together, we were jumping around when we heard the news! (Laughs) Because there are many people who have performed in plays before surrounding us, there is more pressure to do our best so as not to drop the quality.

- I think that it will be a new challenge, completely different from your work as a vocalist, but have you prepared anything special to transition to the stage?

After having read the original work, I started investigating the person I was playing, such as why the original Hijikata Toshizo was the one who was called “the deputy head demon”

- Hijikata Toshizo in this stage is a hero who is growing through battle while aiming to be “the strongest” in Kyoto at the end of the Edo era.

Hijikata is confident at the beginning, fighting to believe that “I am strong” and “I am right”, and growing up with the surrounding encouragement, he becomes a really strong man. This story is about his growth.

- Is there any place you think that you are similar Hijikata Toshizo?

We’re similar! When I was 18 years old, I was convinced that “I can become the best singer in Japan in my teens” (laughs). But when I came out to Tokyo and attended lessons and started having lives with Da -iCE, I noticed, “I’m just one fish in a pond." Even now I’m confident, but unlike the old "overestimation”, I am planning to see my ability accurately. I think that growth is also a huge part of me

–I see. So, when do you think Hijikata is cool?

Aside from his swordsmanship, the place where he learns to trust himself to the end is cool, isn’t it? Because I think that it is very important that I believe in myself, apart from just good singing. I think that continuing to have confidence in anything is a talent.

- The stage lessons have begun, so how is trying out swordsmanship?

It is really hard. There are also a lot of scenes involving sword fighting, and I have only practiced the first half yet, but it is exhausting (laughs). Already … it feels like I’m about to die. Ha ha ha!

- You have a big smile but you must feel a little bitter (laughs).

Still, I’m a certain type. Rather than thinking “Wow, it’s not enough! I have to do it more!”, I would think “I have to know my limits”

- It seems tough to balance your practice with Da-iCE.

While practicing, I also had recording and choreography practice, but my abdominal muscle pain was so bad that it was hard to sing. I was trying to hold my breath, and it looked silly. Even when I tried to make my voice resonate, it was just “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”! (Laughs).

- Recording while in pain. It is not something you can easily experience.

It was a shock to me to witness how muscle soreness could make my singing less clear. But I was still content to do it.

- How positive! So what is the most enjoyable part of practice?

It is a lot of fun to interact with the performers, isn’t it? Even when you say the same line, it is slightly different each time. The response of your body and voice at that time will change depending on the line. I want to be able to express myself in various ways …. and every time I work, I feel the power of professionals. I think I surely grow each time during rehearsal and I have to take it to the highest point

- I am looking forward to it. What is it like starring together with Toru Iwaoka?

He is the kindest and the most innocent among my members. It’s easy to be with him because he understands me well. So practice is fun every time!

- It is encouraging that a member is nearby.

I think so, but I think that the pressure is also heavier. I am thankful to have someone like family with me, and since I can share anything including tough things with him, I really appreciate it.

Rather than dying without regrets, I want to regret dying!

- Although the word "pressure” has came out several times, do you easily feel pressure and tension?　

It is very easy to feel! When singing live, it’s hard to get into the feelings without being nervous, so I feel as if I can’t sing as well if I don’t have those feelings. When recording, I sing a different way than I do during lives, since I value the importance of ease of listening. So if I do not feeling any tension during the live, it’s too similar to the recording. So, I’d like to be a little nervous all the time during a live event.

- For Hanamura-san, pressure is not bad, it’s also a friend.

Well, of course feeling pressure isn’t easy. After all, it can be a painful thing. Of course, there are days when I am feeling too much pressure and and feel useless, and that imbalance makes me anxious. It comes down to whether I can turn it in a good direction, and make it fun for myself.

- I think that mental attitude is a very wonderful way of thinking.

I’m aware I have limited time, so I want to become a human being who can use it well.

- In the manga “Chiruran Shinsengumi Requiem”, the emotions of a man are depicted beautifully, but what kind of image do you have about masculinity?

About the sense of being a man, it’s something I’ve thought of for a long time. It’s a bit embarrassing to say … (laughs). I think that there are many people who often say “I want to live a life with no regrets when I die,” but I would like to regret it when I die.

- Want to regret …?

I want to die thinking that “I want to live more” and “I wanted to do more” and “I wanted something better.” I want to live more. If you are satisfied, isn’t it a waste? If you think "Oh, alright,” then everything really ends there. I want to die with a desire and greed for living.

- That idea is interesting. When it comes to your work, are you usually satisfied, or do you reflect a lot after?

I will reflect a lot when I see my own videos. Perhaps I’ve seen the film of the Budokan live probably about 20 times. However, if I find five bad places, I try to to find ten good places. It is important to destroy those bad places, but it’s more important to improve upon the good places.

- Doing that, you analyze yourself well.

After all, you do not know until you see the whole picture. “If this song was good” then “Let’s increase it even more here” or “Let’s add more places to it like this”. If there is a place where I think “It was overkill here for a moment”, I should draw back a little..

Dreams are goals that you one day pass through …

- What character do you think you have– what kind of person are you?

I am confident and like myself. I like myself when I am singing, myself when I am dancing, and when I do something I like, I like shining brightly. So, basically, I think that the word confident is a match.

- It really overlaps with Hijikata Toshizo. When did you aim forbecoming a vocalist?

I began to like singing since I was little, but when I was about 15 years old, I started talking about it sincerely. For the first time I told everyone around me the words “I want to become a singer”.

- Were there any challenges?

When choosing my career in junior high school, it was so important to me that I didn’t want to study anything else.

- And in 2011, you joined Da -iCE at the age of 20 and had your major debut in 2014. In January of this year, you also had a one-man live at the Budokan. You are making dreams come true one after another.

When I was fifteen, the major debut was a dream, but when I debuted it became a passing point. Dreams change to goals, and the goal changes to a passing point. The same was the case with the Budokan, which used to be a dream before, so when I actually went to the Budokan, it did not feel like “My dream came true!” because it had become a goal I’d passed, and we were heading towards the next dream.

- Please tell me the next dream.

Someday I absolutely want to stand at the Tokyo Dome. That is a really big dream, because it took our sempai AAA over ten years, so I think that it will also take time to make it. And at the moment when I stand at the dome, if I can see that scene … I guess that I’ve made it an artist, right??

What do you think the next step would be after the dome?

I cannot imagine. That’s why I wanted to stand in that position I cannot imagine. What’s the next point up from the dome and what is left for the artist and what kind of ambition comes after? It is interesting, isn’t it? It would be fun to find out!

-The members of Da-iCE aim for such a dream together. For Hanamura-san, who are the members?

Well, I’m their business associate. …… putting it lightly, haha. (laughs). As I expected, they’ve become my family, and they feel like brothers now, don’t they? There are parts that you don’t want your brothers to interfere with, and there are parts that you want your brothers to understand. It is close to such a feeling. We absolutely can’t be separated!

I’m doing stand up comedy on radio programs by myself (laughs)

- I think you must be busy these day, but how do you spend the day off?

I do not go home at all, or I go to a dance lesson. I like dance lessons. I’m really into dancing now!

–Dance…? Da-iCE has been doing that since formation, but have you been particularly into it?

Yes Yes! When I am addicted, it is all consuming. Since all my senses are involved in it, when there is a lesson to go to, it’s better if I go to it. That’s why it’s so much fun. The thing that I want to do the most now is trying being a back up dancer to someone!

- Hanamura-san as a back-up dancer! (laughs).

No no no. If it’s impossible, I would be ashamed, but I want to do it (laughs). Of course songs are the best, but I’d like to try expressing myself with dance alone. I can express myself with songs, but I’d like to express “I feel like this now” just by dancing.

- Because you always sing, you must feel a strong motivation to try doing it

I agree. That’s why dance lessons relax me. I have no friends either.

- Now, we know that isn’t true … (laughs).

Out of all my friends, there is only one in Tokyo. I am lonely, recently. That’s why I have a feeling of needing to talk, watch comedy programs that I have recorded at home. I’m listening to a radio talk program while I’m on the move, and I keep making responses to it when I’m on my own (laughs).

- You’re being a stand up comedy man by yourself (laughs). Surprisingly, Hanamura-san’s lonely face is ….

I will go to movies by myself. I do not want to talk during the film. I am someone who understands the contents of the movie without needing to talk about it. I can understand the development, but when someone asks me “What was the meaning of that?” I will want to explain, during which the movie will proceed to the next scene ….

–(Laughs).

After all, going by yourself is comfortable (laugh).

- So, at the end …. finally, “One word to those who come to see the stage”, (laughs). Tell us your enthusiasm for the stage!

I am practicing now (* interview was done in early March), with the staff, director, performers and everyone, so that I can create the best stage together with them. I hope you will be satisfied if you come. I will make it “a time you will not regret”!

#THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS ART #da-ice #sota #sota hanamura #interview #translation

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